Rescued Ratties Dog Blog

Superstar Puppies!

2011-05-29T07:40:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the puppies were part of a photo shoot for a new photo book that photographer Melissa McDaniels is currently touring the country and shooting photos for. Also participating in the shoot earlier in the day was Catty (known as Franny when she was in foster care) who was a mill breeder dog for 4 years before her Kentucky mill was shut down and she was rescued by New Rattitude.

Melissa has produced three photo books so far, Deaf Dogs, Rescued in America, and Pit Bulls (soon to be released) and is working on the Puppy Mill Photo Book which is planned to be released in early 2012.

The boys did pretty good thanks to lots of treats, peanut butter and an hour and a half time slot. Surprisingly Reuben, the most energetic of the pups and most skittish around people, did the best and stopped and showed his cute little worry wrinkles and tilted his head in the best, innocent puppy pose ever. I know you better, you little terror! You didn't fool me with your cuteness!! Alex did great too, showing off how well he could walk around on only his hind legs. Jasper and Hoagie were pretty concerned about the white paper that was the backdrop and kept walking "off set" to go hang out with their brothers which seemed a lot more interesting than a spot of crinkly paper where treats fell from the sky.

To learn more about Melissa McDaniel's Photo Book Project check out her blog or go to the Photo Book Project Website.

Pupdate: Hoagie

2011-05-18T12:44:00.001-07:00

The little man went to the vets today for x-rays. He was anesthetized, and several shots were taken of both legs to make sure the other leg didn't have any hairline fractures and his left broken leg is straight and has started to heal. Then he was splinted and good to go for 2 more weeks.

I got a call from the vet as I was tooling around Trader Joe's and am happy to say that Hoagie's bones are nice and straight and they can see new bone starting to grow in there so things are starting to knit back together. It was all I could do not to dance down the aisle.

I figured that he must be feeling a bit better. He is starting to use the splinted leg a bit during potty breaks, isn't sleeping as much and is VERY upset about being confined to his crate when what he really wants to do is wrestle with his brother and tear around. He tilts back his head and has an ear shredding howl that he lets out to make sure everyone is aware that he would like to be let out of his crate.

In this photo you see him trying to chew his way out although he's recently lost many of his baby teeth so it's more like he's gumming his way out.

Broken puppies

2011-05-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

It is with a sad heart that I announce that one of my 2 newly rescued pups has broken his leg. So far he is the 3rd puppy of the group of 15 that were rescued by New Rattitude to have a nearly spontaneous fracture like this so all the dogs are now on restrictions for movement.

The reasons for these breaks is likely a combination of things: malnourished mother providing their initial sustenance, bad nutrition after they were weaned, bad breeding practices causing genetic issues, and not being allowed to move around enough (tight crating) which is needed for the musculoskeletal system to develop properly.

They won't always be fragile though. The pups are just 4 months old and are now on top quality foods, supplements and will slowly be getting more and more exercise as their bodies are strong enough to handle it.

Send healing thoughts to young Hoagie who will be going to the vet tomorrow for his leg to be checked and resplinted. It was a pretty bad break of the radius and ulna and we are hoping that with limited exercise and the splint it will heal properly. Hoagie is NOT happy about having to be back in a crate and restricted from running and wrestling.

Holy puppies, Batman!

2011-05-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

The puppies have arrived in WA and I've come up with an idea for a new comic book villain - it would be a pack of cute puppies. They lure unsuspecting victims in with their cuteness and just when there is no turning back, they throw their heads back, stun people motionless with a high, piercing screech and then shoot liquified, bacteria laden poop in their direction.

After a night of several trips out for potty breaks with 4 loud puppies I will be happy to take them all to the vet today for neutering. They deserve it and I hope it slows down their mouths a bit when I pick them up tonight.

Happily two pups, Alex and Jasper, biggest and smallest, will be heading to their foster homes tonight after I pick them up at the vets. Reuben (the most fearful) and Hoagie (the loudest) will stay on and hopefully start to settle in more so everyone can start getting a bit more sleep.

As expected the pups are wormy and one seems to have giardia but overall they seem phsically very healthy and their coats are fairly nice.

More news as they settle in.

Overstock

2011-04-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

Currently I'm in working with New Rattitude to arrange the transport of the next 4 dogs who will be fostered by 3 of our WA state foster homes. Typically we rescue dogs from shelters where they have reached the end of their hold time there and are scheduled to be euthanized. Sometimes we take owner surrender dogs so they can avoid a stint in a shelter they might not survive. These dogs we are taking in because they are overstock.

One of New Rattitude's Midwest state coordinators was contacted by a rescue group that specializes in rescuing dogs from large commercial breeders. The group gets these breeders, aka puppy mills, to surrender the "stock" that gets too old to be sold. Typically these dogs are killed but sometimes they will be released and this is one of those times.

So what does overstock typically look like? Most of the 15 plus dogs being released to New Rattitude are 12-16 weeks old so beyond the age that most stores want to buy. Also, females are more popular and can also be kept on as additional breeding stock so most overstock dogs are going to be male. Pretty sad right?

To learn the facts about puppy mills be sure to check out this document by the Humane Society of the United States. And spread the word. I'd like to think that most people out there, if they knew the reality of where store puppies came from, would turn to their local shelters and rescue groups when they choose to add to their family.

Pictured is Poppy, a former foster pup about the age (but likely much larger) than the 4 boys who will be arriving in WA in another week. We won't have photos of the new boys until the date that they are released.

Hanging with rescuers

2011-04-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

I'm back from my wild Rat Terrier Jamboree adventure and once more sighing in wonder at the energy and dedication that my eastern and southern rescuer friends put into New Rattitude. It's an emotional thing, rescuing dogs. You see a side of people sometimes that you really don't want to know about when you take a hurt and broken dog into your home. But Jamboree is a chance to see a side of the rescuers that you don't hear about. I see people who give more of themselves that I could ever give and watch in awe as they give some more.

Honestly, I can't be that unselfish. I know the line where I will go into overload zone and do my best not to cross it and to make sure that the volunteers that I work with don't cross it. But non-profits survive because of the folks that will always go a step further and I honor them for it, even if I can't be that person.

This year what I most took away from the Rat Terrier Jamboree, is that New Rattitude is made up of an incredible array of people: the touchy-feely people, the laid back, the uptight, the doers and the talkers, the easy going and the control freaks.... When focused on individually it can make a person a little crazy but mix it together and be amazed and the miracles that happen.

So I left feeling not so full of myself but also more clear about where my limits are. Also more clear is that I have a support system out there that, although a little irritated by me at times, they have my back. Once again I feel refueled for another year of rescuing little spotted dogs with attitudes.

Pictured is Nugget. Her mom is a rat terrier and dad was something a bit bigger. She has the most laid back temperament I've ever seen in a puppy and was the best girl ever at Jamboree. Even the old crabby dogs didn't seem to mind her goofy exuberance since she had good manners for a pup. Nugget is being fostered in Indianapolis. Here she's busy keeping her foster mom's seat warm for her.

Off to Tennessee

2011-04-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again! The annual Rat Terrier Jamboree is taking place in Sweetwater, Tennessee and NR's WA state adoption coordinator and I are flying to Atlanta and then making the 3 hour drive over to the tiny little town of Sweetwater. It's a beautiful area near the Smokies and should be wonderful to get a dose of sunshine after the long, wet, gray, fall-winter-spring that we are having. I'm prepping the guys on how to prepare dog meals in my absence and what constitutes "regular" potty breaks for them (dogs not guys). I'm sure that everyone will be fine as they managed the last couple years. Especially since Doc and Chicory are pretty easy as far as foster dogs go and they feel comfortable here so should manage fine. I'll be back in a few days with photos and tales of all the fun.

The Doctor is in

2011-03-30T12:26:00.001-07:00

Doc has been here with us in Western WA now for a few weeks and is doing great. While he can be a barker when he's excited, for the most part he's a pretty easy guy.

One thing we've discovered is that he LOVES belly rubs and snoozing next to people on the couch during any TV or book reading time. He really enjoys hanging out with his people. In fact he likes that more than playing with his tennis ball, which is saying a lot since her adores his tennis ball.

He would love a family of his own who has a fenced yard big enough for playing with a tennis ball and also who like to hike or go for runs, since Doc is always up for adventure.

So while he isn't perfect, I have to ask who's perfect? This guy gives 100% of himself to loving his human and having fun with him. He does have a little anxiety from being shifted around a lot but can you blame him?

Someone out there is going to get a heck of a partner when they discover Doc is waiting for them. He really is a sweet, goofball of a boy who needs someone willing to give him a chance and love him.

A little Chicory with your coffee?

2011-03-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

Our newest foster girl has arrived from Texas and she is as sweet as can be. Chicory is 3 yrs old, about 13 pounds and although shy at first with people and new experiences she quickly learns things are safe. She is looking for a home without big dogs but wouldn't mind cats as long as they keep their distance. While she doesn't seem likely to chase small animals she definitely didn't trust the cat she was introduced to and barked a bit while backing away.

Chicory does great with Frodo and Tilly and would love to play more if they would only join in with her. While she does have great bite inhibition while playing she does tend to be somewhat "face-oriented" in her play so she needs to go to a home without young children.

We are working on house-training and it's going great but she will need a new family who is willing to reinforce her new learned skill with crate-training and not too much freedom to begin with while she is learning where the correct potty spots are.

You can't fully see them in this shot but Chicory's crowning glory are her radar dish-sized ears that are alert to everything. Most of the time both are fully up but when she is relaxed one will fold over a little bit - it's probably tiring keeping all that ear weight up! :)

Update: The weather has been horrible over the passes and we are still trying to get Doc over the mountains for his foster home transfer. The next time we will try for is this Saturday and if that doesn't work, Monday. Cross your paws!

Change in the pack

2011-02-27T14:54:00.000-08:00

Lots of shifting around it happening right now but for good reasons - current fosters are going home and new fosters are being rescued. Skipper has found himself a marvelous home and left here this week for the comfy joy of being a spoiled only dog in Port Orchard. We miss the big goofball but are so happy that he found such a great home.

Remember Nimh? Well she has been back with us for a couple weeks of dogsitting while her new family was vacationing. We've enjoyed the little gal although I have a feeling she will be ready to go back to her new family on Tuesday where she can get more of the attention and worship she feels she deserves. Having to be one of a pack of 4-5 dogs is something she has determined to be beneath her now that she has moved on up to her new family. :)

The newest guy, Kermit, will be here until his foster spot at one of the other Federal Way foster homes opens up. We will miss him but have 2 other new dogs arriving and I'm sure that he will find the 2 dog foster home much calmer. He's very shy but will quickly warm up to people if they offer to give him cuddles. He also loves other dogs as long as they aren't too wild and has been having a blast with Nimh, Frodo and Tilly.

The weather hasn't been cooperating with our transport plans. Doc, who was in a foster home in Yakima, was scheduled to come to our house to be fostered today. However, Snoqualmie pass is bad and now we may need to wait another week for this energetic boy to join us. Doc loves to play and run and roughhouse which hasn't been a good fit for his Yakima foster home that has some delicate, elderly dogs. My goal is to do some training with him and help him center himself and his energy, all the while building up his confidence. This worked so well for Skipper and I know that it will help Doc as well.

Last but not least is a new girl who was spotted on a "last call" list for the Austin Texas shelter. She is a beautiful 1 1/2 year old girl who we will work to get transported over to Washington in the next week or two. The details are still being arranged but watch for info of this sweet girl soon.

Rescue Drama: Saving #A1181170

2011-02-16T18:42:00.000-08:00

One of my volunteers jobs for New Rattitude is to coordinate rescues of dogs to keep our Washington state foster spots full of rescues. The job is called a "state coordinator" and I spend time filing through our group's listings of urgent dogs around the country and deciding which dogs would be good fits for different foster homes and which I'll be able to get transported to Washington. Each home has a different make up of resident dogs and each foster parent has a mix of skills so I end up being a bit of a matchmaker.

Because I am constantly scanning through the photos and write ups about dogs that are very close to being killed, I've tried to learn to compartmentalize things and not think of how many dogs I can't save and just focus on the few that I can help. It's much easier said than done and sometimes a little face grabs my heart and I really want to save a specific dog, in spite of the reality of not having room for him or her.

Recently a little dog named Happy in Los Angeles caught my eye. I didn't rush because I thought he had more time before being euthanized, and I didn't really have a spot for him but I kept checking back, hoping I could pull him. When I finally had a spot that could take him I checked on him and his picture was no longer on the site. Panicking, I checked with a volunteer at the shelter and discovered that Happy had been euthanized because the shelter was really crowded and he hadn't shown well in the shelter setting. I was crushed and felt like his photo was burned into my skull. Knowing how fast stuff like this can pull a person under, I focused my frustration on saving another Los Angeles dog.

A1181170 was a young adult, male rat terrier west of Los Angeles. I wrote down his number, copied his photo and then set to digging through the bureaucracy that is the Los Angeles Animal Services to get this dog out. After 4 hours of networking with local rescuers and volunteers a plan was in place and the shelter was ready to release him. Little A1181170 was a shy guy. He had been surrendered with 5 other rat terriers and all of them were quickly adopted. He was returned for being too shy and after being returned was unlucky enough to come down with kennel cough. The stress of the shelter and a bad case of worms was wearing him down and the kennel cough turned into a serious upper respiratory infection. His chances of making it out of the shelter were getting slim without a rescue group's intervention. Everything worked out for this guy though and our volunteer transporter pulled him this morning and drove him straight to our temp foster mom's vet. As a thank you, little A1181170 covered her with boogery kisses and hugged her close, obviously relieved to be out.

In total 7 volunteers in California worked with me for 2 days to get this little guy to safety. He still has a long road ahead of him. This week he'll rest up and hopefully the antibiotics will start to do their magic. Next week an airline employee has volunteered to fly down to Southern California and carry him back to Seattle in cabin. He'll spend a few days with me and then will travel to his foster home in Yakima, WA where he can settle in for awhile and heal up while he awaits his forever home. And I am glad to say he is no longer #A1181170. He is now Kermit the Dog or Kermie for short.

Fix the Ones You Love!

2011-02-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

Updates on the current crew

2011-02-01T16:14:00.000-08:00

First off we have to tell everyone the great news. Nimh has found a home of her own and she is doing great! She now lives in the Capital Hill neighborhood of Seattle and is enjoying life as a city girl. Nimh has a rattie-chi sister that's even tinier than her and a 12 year old human sister who is really good at spoiling her. Congratulations Ms. Nimh on your new home.

The next news is on Skipper. We've continued working on training with him and he is doing great. He now spends most of his time upstairs in the living room hanging out with Frodo and although I can't say that they are best buddies, they do fine together. In the picture you see Skipper "uncorking" the squeakie wine bottle that he made quick work of. We're pleased to announce that Mr. Skippy has an application and his potential family is coming out tomorrow afternoon to meet him. Wish him luck - he'd sure love to have a family of his own.

Let's not forget Ms. Madeline. She continues to recover from her hip surgery, although she has had a little setback when something seemed to get pulled during her spay. We have her on an anti-inflammatory and some Tramadol for the pain and are hoping she will be 100% soon. Currently she has a couple people interested in her so we are just waiting and watching to make sure she will be healed up enough to head to a forever home.

Just a reminder - you can check out the latest on all the WA New Rattitude foster dogs over on Facebook - just look for the "New Rattitude - Washington State" community page. You should also "like" our National page while you're at it! Thanks everyone for your continued support!

Yippy, Skippy!

2011-01-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

Last time I posted Skipper was just starting to learn some basic commands and learning to focus on his humans a little more. Listening is still not his strong point but the "look at me" command has really helped me get his attention when he's getting excited about something. The result? Well Skipper is getting to spend time with the rest of the pack now.

Although he still doesn't quite understand that it's impolite to stare into another dogs eyes, he's really trying and has come a long way when interacting with the pack.

First we would take all the dogs except Skipper to the top floor of our tri-level and shut them in a bedroom. Then Skipper would get to spend time alone on the main floor (aka - the dog level) and get used to it enough so that it didn't get him overstimulated. It doesn't take much to get Skipper excited. Here's my interpretation of Skipper coming upstairs and checking out the dog toy basket: "OMG - HERE'S A FUZZY TENNIS BALL THAT SQUEAKS! And right next to it is ANOTHER FUZZY TENNIS BALL THAT DOESN'T SQUEAK!!! And OH MY GOD!!!!!! THIS TENNIS BALL DOESN'T HAVE ANY FUZZ BUT IT SQUEAKS LIKE THE FIRST ONE!!!! IT'S TOOOOO MUCH FOR ME. OMG!! OMG!! OMG!!!!!! ARROOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Get the picture? Skipper has a full appreciation for the little things in life. However, after about a minute of taking in everything in the room at full speed, he levels out and kicks back with one of the toys to chew on it. So once he's reached the calm level we started letting Frodo into the room. After a couple successful tries we let Frodo be in the room when Skipper first came upstairs. Since Skippy's been up here quite a bit now it's not quite so over the top exciting for him so we thought he was ready, and sure enough, it went great. Frodo mostly sat on the back of the couch looking worried and constantly trying to catch my eye as if to ask, "you realize there's a giant crazy dog in the room, right?"

So it was a big night for Skippy. He hung out, chewing on various antlers and squeakie balls for about 20 minutes before I took him back down to the rec room for some chill time. I see great things in this guy's future. He is so loving and goofy and fun and at just 7 1/2 years old he's got a lot of years left to give to some lucky human.

Skipper's journey

2011-01-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

A lot has gone on in the last few months of Skipper's life that could upset a dog. He lost his owner who he'd lived with his entire life of nearly 8 years. He was then driven from his known home in Iowa to Chicago and the next day boarded on a plane and flown to Seattle, WA. He then spent some time with a family full of kids and pets and had trouble fitting in thanks to him not really understanding how to hang out with big dogs.

Add to all of this his Jack Russell genetics and you could have a mess on your hands. However, in spite of a few rough patches he is doing amazingly well. I've been watching him closely the short time he's been with us and one thing that I've noticed is that he gets overly excited in new situations and zones out his humans. He's so focused on whatever it is that has engaged him (barking dog upstairs, sound in the garage, bird outside the window...) that it's like he can't even hear me. Add to that the fact that he doesn't seem to have had much training beyond the "sit" command and you have a dog who isn't used to looking to humans for info.

When a dog gets overly worked up, even if it's a happy/nervous excitement like Skipper's, it can often lead to reactiveness. The dog is so fired up that what could just be a "hey, give me some space" bark from another dog can be interpreted as a "bring it on buddy, I wanna kick your butt!" Not a good thing.

My plan for Skipper is to start working on basic commands with him so it becomes an ingrained habit for him to look to humans for info on how to behave. I want him to be tuned into me enough so that if we are in a new environment I'll be able to talk with him and get him to focus on me and connect with me before he gets worked up. It's not that he's hyper or crazy, he's just easily overstimulated. I have to say, this guy was probably quite a handful at age 1 or 2 or even three, but at 7 he's just ready for fun and eager to please and interact with his humans.

So we've started with a "sit-stay" and he's worked from just a 1 second stay (I did say he was distractable) up to a full 10 seconds and that's with the dogs barking upstairs. He quickly learned "lay" from a sit position but that will need work for him to fully understand it without leading him into it. Most important, today we started doing a "look at me" exercise and a "touch it" exercise. Since I don't want to overload him with a bunch of new stuff I think we'll continue to work on the stay and the "look at me" commands since they are so important. The guy is so dang smart that he picks something up almost immediately and he's really praise motivated so we don't even need to use treats much - a good thing since he needs to lose a little weight.

Overall this is an amazing dog - house trained, loves kids, loves people, playful and great on leash. The skills he's learning now will help him be more comfortable in new situations and more in tune with the lucky human who welcomes him to their home.

WA's New Rattitude dogs on Facebook

2011-01-05T19:47:00.001-08:00

New Rattitude has had it's own Facebook community for quite awhile, however, starting this week we decided to try something more locally focused. A community called New Rattitude - Washington State was created so we can try to network with local folks and spread the word about the dogs available and the adoption events that happen here in WA state for New Rattitude.

Come "like" our page and get updates on how current fosters are doing, new rescues arriving in our foster homes, and events that we'll be participating in with our dogs. We'll also try to tell you about local pet business that we love for being so rescue friendly.

So thanks in advance for spreading the word amongst your Facebook friends about our new page and helping us get the word out about some of the greatest dogs in the state!

Welcome Skipper!

2011-01-03T21:53:00.000-08:00

Skipper was at another foster home but developed a pack order issue with one of the resident dogs, a lab, which was causing problems with the 3 dogs at the home. So as of yesterday he joined our pack of fostered terriers and is proving to be a great dog.

This guy was on New Rattitude's urgent list as a Jack-Rat mix but when he was rescued and his paperwork was looked at we discovered he is actually a purebred Jack Russell Terrier. Now, I'll admit that typically I'm not especially fond of the JRT breed. To me they are a bit like rat terriers on crack cocaine - SOOOOO intense! And while Skippy is intense, he's also 7 years old so he's moved past his insane stage and mellowed out to an energetic and athletic, loveable guy.

So many pluses about this boy: extremely well house-trained, absolutely adores kids and every human that he's met, loves to play, walks well on a leash, and amazingly for his breed, he's not a barker.

Down sides: He loves cats and thinks they taste like chicken, and he has that combo of distractability and hyper-prey drive that is common in Jacks.

He loves snuggling and is doing well with his gradual introduction to our pack. So far he and Tilly and Madeline have met and all are tolerating each other well. Skippy would love to play with him but they are kind of overwhelmed by his size and excitement about playing. Frodo and he had a short intro tonight in the back yard that was positive so we'll keep working on getting them together. He does enjoy other small dogs, however his intense style of play can be a little much for them.

The fact is that at 7 years old this guy is acting and looking like a youngster. He weighs 28 pounds but could stand to lose about 3-4 pounds to get to a healthy weight. We are starting to get him out on daily walks and have cut his kibble back a bit so he's headed in the right direction. This would be the perfect hiking partner for someone (as long as he was kept on leash) or a great jogging/walking partner as well. If you know anyone who would love a Jack Russell but isn't up to those early years of Jack-style mayhem, then this smart, goofy, beautiful dog may be just the right guy for them.

The Prayer of St. Francis, This Year, Save One, Foster One, Rescue One Dog

2011-01-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

Madeline's surgery

2010-12-30T22:34:00.001-08:00

Things have been so busy that I am just now getting around to updating you on Madeline. She had the FHO surgery (femural head osteo-something) on Tuesday and the doctor said it was very routine and went great. She's already up and moving around in the kitchen and trying to play with Tilly which is great news.

I've had 5 different foster dogs go through surgery to correct luxating patellas and I have to say that the incision site is MUCH less dramatic looking for this hip surgery than for the knee surgeries that I'm used to.

She'll need to recuperate for several weeks before she can be adopted to a new home and it will be 4 weeks before she is ready for her spay surgery.

Maddie has shown herself to be an amazing little dog and the better she feels, the better she gets. Someone out there will be getting themselves a very special family member. I can't thank New Rattitude team members enough for all they do to make expensive rescues like this possible. Thanks to Edgewood Veterinary Clinic for their continued support and for being so pro-rescue and giving us a great deal on the surgery. It was half of what 2 other vet offices quoted us.

Goodbye little Frizzers

2010-12-22T16:11:00.000-08:00

Frisby just went home and while I am ecstatic over the incredible home that he went to, I'll miss the little lovebug. He remembered his new mom from when she came to meet him last week and other than a little confusion over why I wasn't going with them when he left, he seemed to be relaxed. The day of seeing them off to their new homes is the only part of rescue that I hate. It's worth dealing with the sadness though to know how many more lives will be saved because I have that open spot for a new dog needing a temporary home. Madeline is alive today because Frisby found a family and there was room for her to move in with us while she gets healthy. So have a great life, Mr. Fris-butt. We love you and can't wait to hear how well you are doing in your new home.

Madeline Update: Yesterday I took Madeline to the vet for x-rays so we could see what is going on with her legs. Right off the bat the vet guessed what was going on and x-rays confirmed that poor Maddie's right leg was out of socket and has been since she was attacked by that dog on December 1st. Because it's been out for so long, moving around, it will not stay in, even if they put it back, so the ball of the joint will be removed and repairs will be made. This will allow her to keep her leg and use it pain-free although she may end up with a slight limp. She also had a fracture to her left pelvis but that has healed and isn't seeming to cause her any discomfort. So this is actually good news - things could have been much worse and required special orthopedic surgery. This is a fairly common operation that can be done right at the vet's office, no specialists involved. It's actually the same surgery that another new Washington foster dog, Edward, will be having soon. Maddie's surgery is scheduled for this coming Tuesday.

Welcome, sweet Madeline!

2010-12-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

We are happy to announce that sweet 8 month old, 10 pound, Madeline has arrived in WA after a 1 - 1/2 day drive up from Northern California. Troy met her transport in South Tacoma this morning and brought her home.

We are happy to say she is a sweet, well socialized girl with a nice even temperament, especially considering that she is in pain. A big surprise was that she is in heat and I believe is about 12-15 days into her cycle. Since she's been in the shelter, kept isolated since December 1st, I think we're safe. Still, we're not enjoying the mess. If she is as late in her cycle as I think then she only has about 4 or 5 days left of the bleeding.

The bad news is that she is not using her rear right leg at all and it is obviously uncomfortable when she lays down. She moves around on her other rear leg okay, even though it was obviously injured as well. Her story is that she was brought into the shelter on December 1st after she had been attacked by a large dog. The owners asked the shelter to put her down as they didn't want the vet bills. The shelter refused and tried nursing her back to health in the front office while they attempted to find a rescue spot for her.

There are an amazing amount of lacerations on her legs that are healing very well - most are just scar tissue at this point. She has an appointment on Tuesday to see a vet for an exam and to have digital x-rays taken so we can see what the damage is and the vet can create a treatment plan. I am crossing my fingers that it will be something that can be fixed without orthopedic surgery as that would be heavy burden for the rescue, especially since we have another WA dog that will be needing hip surgery as soon as he is healthy enough to undergo anesthesia. Watch for her and Edward (the other WA boy who has a broken hip) to appear in the New Rattitude Clinic soon.

At this point Frodo, Frisby and Tilly are just curious about who the new girl is but Nimh is having absolute conniption fits over her. Since I know Nimh will try to start humping her if I let her near poor Maddie we are keeping everyone very separate right now.

Adopt an Old Dog

2010-12-16T14:21:00.000-08:00

Madeline

2010-12-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

"In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines ..." that is how all the books in Ludwig Bemelman's book series about the precocious Madeline begin. Well, it's not an old house in Paris and my rattie fosters would never be able to form straight lines but Madeline the rat terrier (named for the book character) will soon be joining us here in Washington.

Madeline was surrendered to a shelter in Northern California after she was attacked by a large dog. The 7 month old pup had a laceration on her inner thigh, abrasions, and was stiff and sore. The owners that brought her in wanted her euthanized but the shelter staff refused, saying that she should be fine with a little time and TLC. The owners left her and the staff kept little Maddie in the front office, working on nursing her back to health. As she recovered they called the owners multiple times, asking if they had changed their mind and each time the owners said to euthanize her. Since the owners where done with her and the shelter had no money for x-rays to check and see if there are any fractures to the bone that are causing her stiffness they began networking her to rescue groups hoping to find somewhere to send her where she'd get the medical care that they couldn't provide.

She was placed on New Rattitude's CA urgent list and that's where I first saw her. Catherine, the CA State Coordinator for New Rattitude found a ground transport that was driving from Ventura to Seattle, picking up urgent dogs for Seattle area rescuers along the way. Madeline will join 17 other dogs on the trek to Washington starting Saturday and we will meet the transport in Olympia on Sunday morning to pick her up.

So send healthy vibes to Miss Madeline and cross your paws that the x-rays don't show any serious breaks. I'll keep you posted.

You've gotta love those transport volunteers!

2010-12-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd share this awesome video showing the rescue of 76 dogs that were transported from CA up to various rescues in the Seattle area. It won't let me stream it here so here's the link.

Skipper is here!

2010-12-14T14:47:00.000-08:00

The New Rattitude WA team has another new foster parent, Traci, and her 1st foster dog arrived in WA on Sunday the 12th.

Skipper's owner passed away and the 6-7 year old guy was spending most of his time in a crate after that. He was headed to a shelter but the owner really wanted to avoid that since a 6 year old guy doesn't have much of a chance in a shelter. A rescue spot was found for him and he arrived here on Sunday, seemingly enjoying his big transport adventure.

This guy is up for just about anything. He knows some basic commands, is well house trained, crate-trained, loves kids and other dogs and is an all around joy for everyone (except maybe cats - he LOVES cats but they aren't fond of his ability to chase and catch them.)

He's a Jack Russell/rat terrier mix and at 6 he's not even quite middle-aged yet. This guy is an excellent example of why people should skip puppies and look for a mature dude to add to their family.

Thanks to all involved in saving him.

Edward Update: Poor Edward's kennel cough has settled in and he's at the worst phase of it with lots of coughing at night and a runny nose. The good news is that he is now eating and not looking so gaunt. We just need to get him through this KC so he can be healthy enough to have his hip fixed.

Frisby/Nimh update: Frisby has a great application and will be meeting his potential adopter and their rat terrier Cooper tomorrow. Everyone wish him luck! Nimh is still looking for a home that is looking for a gorgeous tiny dog who deserves the title of Princess Nimh.

Poor Edward

2010-12-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

On Sunday one of Washington's newest NR foster dogs arrived on a plane from Texas. His name is Edward and he was seriously underweight, had kennel cough, and had a limp. He went to his new foster home with one of Washington's new foster parents and we discovered he wasn't eating or drinking much either.

Off to the vet Carol, Edward and I went this morning to have Dr. Joe take a look at him and see what might be the issue. When his leg was checked the "crunchy" noise let us know that x-rays were a must. It was discovered that little one year old Edward has a broken hip. Thankfully the pelvis and leg are fine but the ball part of the joint has broken off and he will need surgery to fix things up.

For now he received subcutaneous fluids to get him rehydrated and some pain meds. On top of that the doctor gave him a bag of food that Edward seemed interested in free of charge. After being dosed with the pain meds he's started eating and drinking broth so Carol and I are ecstatic! The little guy weighs 7 pounds and should be more like 10 or 11. It's a bit frightening to see a dog that thin.

Anyhow, right now the goal is to get a little weight on him and to get him well hydrated. Once he gets a little healthier he'll have the hip surgery. Everyone keep the sweet little dude in your thoughts - and keep his foster mom Carol in your thoughts as well. Nursing a dog with a broken hip is a bit of an overwhelming assignment for your first foster. In spite of the pain he is happy and friendly and hasn't been snappy at all. I can only imagine how incredible he'll be when he feels good.

It's a Jolly Holi-dog Celebration!

2010-12-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

Craigslist: a terrier danger zone

2010-11-30T13:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not an anti-Craigslist person. Quite the opposite. In fact I purchased a great, brand new West Elm bed frame and a canoe on the site and have sold a variety of items there. However, Craigslist can be a dangerous place for dogs. Like any anonymous type platform there are creeps out there waiting to prey on the unsuspecting.

For small dogs this can either be perverts looking for free animals to abuse or dog fighters looking for bait dogs. And yet still, I regularly see free dogs listed on the site. This in spite of the fact that Craigslist warns about the dangers of listing free pets.

Sadly, there are always going to be folks out there who have changed their mind about wanting the cute puppy they were so sure they were in love with a few years ago and since many people see their pets as just another household commodity they turn to Craigslist to rid themselves of them. There is another option for them though and I could use people's help to let them know.

If anyone out there has the time to do a regular search on the Seattle and Tacoma Craigslist pet listing for rat terriers, here is a polite E-mail that you can send them, suggesting New Rattitude's ReHome program. The ReHome program will list the dogs on Petfinder, Adopt-a-pet, and the New Rattitude Website as well as screen applications for the dog using our regular home screening, application process. However, while we look for the home, the dog stays with the owner which doesn't fill up a foster spot that needy shelter dogs are desperate for.

Here's a polite E-mail you can send. Remember, sarcasm and pointing fingers won't help get the dog out of danger. Yes, the owners are irritating but mostly just uneducated.

Just a heads up - it is fairly common for perverts or dog fighters
(looking for bait dogs) to look for free terriers on Craigslist. Because
of this it is very dangerous to list "free" dogs on Craigslist. The rescue
group www.newrattitude.org has a great free program called ReHome that will help
you get your dog listed on Petfinder and their Website, and then will use their
volunteers to screen people who apply for the dog.

Go to
http://www.newrattitude.org/rehome.htm to learn about and use this free
service. Even if you don't want to take part in this program consider
at least changing your ad to include a rehoming fee for the protection of the
dog.

Home for the Holidays!

2010-11-29T19:16:00.000-08:00

For those of you who haven't subscribed to New Rattitude's E-newsletter I wanted to forward this announcement of the 2010 holiday fundraising drive:

Season's Greetings from New Rattitude! There's nothing we'd like more than to provide a home for the holidays for needy rat terriers. Going "home" can mean anything from providing a lonely and forgotten shelter dog with a nurturing foster home, to sending rehabilitated ratties to their new and permanent adoptive homes where they will be safe, cared for, and loved for the rest of their lives.

Without the generous help of our faithful supporters, New Rattitude would be unable to carry out our mission. Did you know that in 2009 New Rattitude rescued 271 dogs and incurred vet expenses of over $46,000? Our adoption fees do not come close to covering the medical needs of our foster dogs, much less other costs of operating the rescue such as dog food, transporting dogs from shelters to foster homes, purchasing ID tags and microchips, etc.

Would you like to help New Rattitude save more rat terriers throughout 2011? Your heart will feel warm and fuzzy knowing you've helped us provide secure and loving homes for rat terriers in need. You can do so by giving the "gift of rescue" this holiday season! Contributions of any amount--big or small--will be so appreciated. You might even consider making a gift donation in the name of a friend, relative, or coworker.

New Rattitude has been incredibly blessed again this year...a generous donor has offered to match holiday donations to New Rattitudeup to $1,000! That means your donation willgo twice as far. If you work foran organization that matchesdonations, you might even be able to triple your gift!

Watch New Rattitude's website to track the progress toward meeting our donation goal! Each $50 or $100 raised will light up a window in the Rattie Holiday House displayed on the New Rattitude Website and the face of an adorable rescued or adopted rat terrierwill appear.

When every window is lit up and 15 happy ratties are safe in their "home,"we will have reached our $1,000 goal and doubled all donations!

Tax deductible donations can be made through our website using Paypal, or a check can be sent to New Rattitude, P.O. Box 14064, Lansing, MI 48901.

Thank you to all our faithful followers who have supported us throughout 2010. We appreciate you
very much and so do all the New Rattitude foster dogs--past, present, and future--who find happy
homes with the help of your kind gifts.

Shop online and rescue dogs at the same time

2010-11-24T09:33:00.000-08:00

Do you like to avoid the crowds and do your holiday shopping online? Well you could make some money for New Rattitude this season by using the Goodshop.com Website. Go to the Website, choose New Rattitude (Lansing, MI is listed as the location) and then link from the site to hundreds of your favorite Websites like REI.com, Target.com, Gap, Crate and Barrel, Petsmart, Ebay.... Pretty much anywhere you might choose to shop is on there.

After you link to your favorite shopping Website from Goodshop, just shop and go through check out as you usually would. The companies then donate around 5% (but up to 30% at some sites) of your purchase price to New Rattitude. Easy huh? So anytime you shop online, go to Goodshop first so a little of that money will be given to the dogs. The other Website shopping program that New Rattitude participates in is iGive and it works the same way.

The Pupdate

2010-11-23T12:50:00.000-08:00

Our sweet foster girl, Kanga, has found a home of her own where she will join her excited dad and a 5 year old rattie brother named Scooter. As much as I love all my fosters, some are tougher to say goodbye to than others and Kanga is one of those. She fits so seamlessly into the pack, always happy and eager to please, and other than the occasional accident, an all around pretty perfect little gal who has wrapped herself around our hearts. The plan is for her to head home tomorrow. She will be well cared for and very loved in her new home though so I'm not at all worried about her future. Just a bit concerned for my heart. LOL

Mayzie La Dog has already headed for home and is doing great. She has a great array of beds and toys and is getting used to being an only dog. Already she has her new mom wrapped around her tiny paw. Good work, Mayzie!

After a summer of being at overload capacity we are finally back down to 2 foster dogs. As much as I'd love to pull another, I'm being good and keeping my promise to not pull another dog for myself until either Frisby or Nimh find a home. However, we have 2 new foster homes in the approval process right now that I'll be pulling dogs for. One was just approved and only needs to undergo the short training session before she's ready for a dog. I'm already cruising the State Coordinator's urgent list, looking for a dog that will be a good fit for her. Watch for an announcement of the new kiddo coming soon to WA.

The newest arrivals are 2 young female rat terriers from TX who are being fostered in our Auburn, WA foster home. Via and Mesa were pulled from a backyard breeder who was killing off his 25 dogs. Nine were rescued in time and these two are here in WA. They will need a quiet, calm home with people who understand their timidity and give them the time and space they need to learn that life can be enjoyable and people can be kind. Luckily they are young enough that they should be able to be rehabilitated.

And don't forget Doc and McLovin over in Yakima. They are amazing dogs. Since they flew through Seattle I have spent a few days with both of them and know they are great dogs. Frankly, I'm shocked that McLovin, a small, easy, house-trained, teeny-tiny guy, hasn't been adopted yet. Doc is also a great guy but has a lot of energy to run off and needs a home where he'll get the exercise and attention that he needs.

Busy, busy...

2010-11-18T17:45:00.000-08:00

After a long dry spell without any applications we recently received 3 and although one didn't make the cut the other 2 look like great fits for Mayzie and Kanga. Actually, Mayzie's application is already approved and she will be heading to her new home on Saturday. Mayzie turns 1 yr old on the 23rd of this month and I think that a loving mom and new home are the best gifts this tiny girl could ask for.

Kanga will be meeting an applicant on Sunday and also meeting a possible rat terrier brother, Scooter. Since Kanga loves everyone, dog and human alike, I'm pretty confident it will go well and we'll be able to move forward. Nonetheless, everyone wish Kanga luck on Sunday afternoon. She's been through a lot with ending up in a shelter, staying for a week in a foster home, flying from Chicago to Seattle, and then 2 knee surgeries to get her ready to find a home. In spite of it all she loves unconditionally and even gave the vet a kiss after he was feeling her just operated on knee.

Frisby and Nimh are each still waiting for someone to find them and we also have a couple great boys, Doc and McLovin' in Yakima looking for a special spot so if you know of anyone looking for a new family member, point them our way.

We also currently have 2 new Washington state foster homes going through the approval process so that will mean even more dogs that I can tell you about. The poor volunteer coordinator is likely getting very tired of my impatient E-mails asking for updates on the status of the foster home apps. I can't help myself! We've got more rat terriers to save.

In the photo above you see Kanga, Frisby (front) and Nimh squeezed into a crate together. Although we have 3 open crates loaded with beds and blankets (including a huge 500 series crate) they always hang out like little spotted sardines in one of the small ones.

Where's the poop?

2010-11-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

Scooping rat terrier poop can be a difficult job in the Pacific Northwest, especially the day after an autumn windstorm. Even under good circumstances those tiny little turds look very similar to the hefty slugs we Washingtonians are famous for.

Yesterday we had windstorms here with gust up to 60 mph. The result this morning is a yard scattered with a few thousand fir cones, also similar in size and shape of said rattie turds. Then to make it even more difficult there is a thin layer of fir needles covering everything. It is a "Where's Waldo?" hunt of epic proportions.

What wasn't difficult to find - in fact the 6 bRats ran straight for it - was the flat dead, rotting bird that blew out of some tree and into the upper landscaped area. Yuck.

I love windstorms but hate the aftermath.

Some positive things happening...

2010-11-15T17:54:00.000-08:00

After several weeks of no applications for Washington New Rattitude fosters, and no open foster spots for dogs that were urgently awaiting rescue, I have some good news at last!

Sweet tiny Mayzie has a great application that is currently being processed and will likely be a really good fit for her. Also, a couple came to meet Frisby at the Petsmart adoption event and applied to adopt him. That will finally get us down to our typical fostering level of 2 fosters at a time which will be much appreciated by my husband and son. :)

Other great news: a couple really great applications in Western WA to foster for New Rattitude. To foster for New Rattitude you go through an approval process that is much like when a person applies to adopt a dog. That is followed by a short training session with our treasurer and then the person is assigned a mentor and is ready for their first foster. So I'm hoping that sometime soon I'll be able to be pulling some dogs urgently awaiting rescue for these new spots.

Many thanks to Julee for attending the adoption event and taking my fosters Kanga and Frisby with her. She developed some really great arm muscles thanks to Kanga being stressy and wanting to be held the entire time. Kanga is fit and trim but she still weighs around 18 pounds so she's not a light load. Thanks also to Julee for volunteering to help out with marketing our dogs - getting fliers posted in spots where good potential adopters are located. Because of the slow economy the number of applications for our dogs has dropped considerably and this extra publicity for them is going to be an incredible help.

So things are looking up. Mayzie has quickly healed from her surgery and has a new favorite past time - wrestling with Nimh and Kanga. She's still a bit of a fraidy cat with people but with the dogs and with me she has become much more playful and confident.

Frankenbelly

2010-11-08T18:42:00.000-08:00

Mayzie had her surgery this morning and thankfully was able to come home with me after work this evening. Ends up the little gal had hernias on both sides so it was a good thing we got her all fixed up. She is resting now and still drowsy with the pain killer that they gave her.

The surgery isn't as invasive as a spay even though it has given her a lumpy, bumpy belly full of stitches earning her the current nickname of Frankenbelly. I'm sure she'll be back be-bopping around the house and wrestling with Kanga in no time. Kanga, in spite of her healing leg, loves playing with Mayzie so we have supervised play times to make sure things don't get out of hand and someone ends up blowing stitches out. Of course after this 2nd surgery for Mayzie she'll need to be crated for a couple of days before I'll allow the wildness to begin again.

Waiting...

2010-11-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I got a second opinion from my regular vet clinic today about Mayzie's hernia and they said the same thing - watch and wait until next week. The good news is that she's acting more herself, has a good appetite, and is pooping normally which is a big relief. She'll go in on Monday morning for the surgery.

Until then she's going to work with me and hanging out in the playpen behind the counter. Lots of good treats there and people to oooh and aaaah over her which she seems to appreciate - especially the treats.

Keep sweet Mayzie in your thoughts

2010-11-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

Mayzie came home from her spay surgery today and was doing fine and her incision looked great. A couple hours later I heard her vomitting in the back yard. When I went over and picked her up there was a large lump in her groin area. I ran her back to the vets and they have diagnosed an inguanal (sp) hernia. Unfortunately it wasn't caught when they were in there and she will need another surgery to repair the abdominal wall in that area.

The vet who did the spay said just to watch her and unless the swelling increases greatly that we can wait a week until she is healed up from the spay and do the second surgery. I'm really stressed though so I'm going to take her into another vet tomorrow for a second opinion. I don't want to rush things and have her undergo a second surgery so soon but I also don't want to end up at the emergency vet this weekend.

I'm taking her to work with me tomorrow and my boss (another rescuer) said it would be fine if I need to take time to get her to the vets.

Right now she is resting in a crate so I can keep her activity down, although she isn't wanting to move around much. She's still peeing and her tail is still wagging so that is good. There hasn't been any additional retching which is also good. Sheesh, I'm really worried about her and stressed out. Not sure how I'm going to sleep tonight.

Latest Pupdate

2010-11-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

After having things calm down for awhile we've had a busy week again. Our newest foster girl Mayzie (was called Leah at the shelter) has arrived in Western Washington and she is a heck of a cutie. Little Mayzie is named after the character Mayzie La Bird from the book "Horton Hatches an Egg" but unlike Mayzie La Bird who is big and flamboyant, Mayzie La Dog is a tiny little quiet thing. Ms. Mayzie is 1 year old and weighs about 7-8 pounds. She's timid at first but once she gets to know her environment and people she is super playful and cuddly. Our guess is that she is half rat terrier and and half miniature dachshund. She has rattie markings and coloring but has the bowlegs and proportions of a doxie. Let me tell you this is one cute little gal.

Today she had a heartworm test and it was negative so tomorrow morning she'll be spayed and then she's ready for a loving person to swoop in and give her a wonderful home.

Other big events this week: Kanga had her second knee surgery yesterday and I picked her up this morning from the vet. She's doing much better than she did after the last surgery and already is using the leg a bit when out on potty breaks. So far she hasn't had to wear a cone yet which makes everyone happy but we'll put it on tonight at bed time so she won't chew on her leg wrap. Since she's done with her surgeries now I sent in the photos and bio to get published on Petfinder and Adopt a pet. She's been with us for quite awhile because of her knee problems so it will be tough to say goodbye when she finds her family.

And finally, our first rat terrier, the boy who made us fall in love with ratties, Frodo turned 5 years old on the 1st. For his gift he received a "Go Dog" roadkill squirrel that honks and squeaks and flops around, just asking to be attacked.

Happy birthday Trekkies!

2010-10-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

Exactly a year ago today our foster dog (of just 2 days) gave birth to a gorgeous litter of 5 pups who grew to be fluffy little rat terrier/mystery dogs. This photo shows Dexter (then Dax) who was the last puppy of the litter to be born and was taken today on his first birthday and sent to my from his dad in Oregon. Here's a link to a photo of him about 30 minutes after birth, hanging with his mom.

Fostering a litter of pups isn't something that I'm eager to do again anytime soon, thanks to the sleepless nights, constant baths and seemingly limitless poop, their adventures with toilet paper, but it was an amazing experience that I will always remember. One of the greatest things was fostering these incredible little dogs who were a virtual blank slate without all the baggage that I normally deal with in the shelter dogs that I foster. Little fluff balls of love that no one has had a chance to mess up. Anyhow, happy birthday to the Trekkie crew and congratulations to mama Star on a job well done.

When the heart can't say no

2010-10-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

Everyday on Facebook and in my E-mail inbox I am inundated with photos of dogs that are about to be put to sleep - probably 50 or more each day. Furry face after furry face. So many that they start to blend together and no matter how much you want to say yes, you know that you just can't save them all. I scan the posts, sometimes not even opening certain E-mails when I know there is no open foster spot for them. You grow callouses on your heart and learn to focus on the reality that there is no room even if you want to save one of them.

Well yesterday that callous on my heart cracked and a face looked out from my Facebook page that was tough to look away from. I shut down the computer but came back to is several times and there she was. Still scared and still scheduled to be put to sleep today, 10/21, at 5 pm with 5 other small dogs. Even though all our permanent foster spots are full I decided to put some feelers out to see if someone would temp the girl until a spot opened up. Space was found and yesterday evening I decided to try and see if it wasn't too late for this girl all the way down in Los Angeles.

Well, I'm happy to say that instead of being euthanized today she underwent a spay surgery so she could be released to a New Rattitude foster parent down in Southern California. They'll pick her up early tomorrow morning and in the meantime I'm working on getting her transported to WA. I probably should have listened to my head and said no, but I'm glad that every once in awhile I let myself listen to my heart.

New Rattitude's 2011 Calendar winners!

2010-10-15T19:47:00.001-07:00

The calendar contest winners were announced in this month's 'Tude News and let me tell you, the 2011 New Rattitude Rat Terrier Calendar is superb! Link to the winners' Webpage to see all the pages. Looks like my foster boy Jake was included in the October collage page with his sister and brother. I didn't notice any other of my fosters but I haven't looked through them super close yet so who knows.

Orders for the calendar are being taken now and will be shipped in mid-November. Pre-orders only pay $1 shipping for the $15 calendar! All proceeds from the calendar will be used by New Rattitude to cover the cost of caring for New Rattitude's rescued rat terriers. Go to New Rattitude's ReTail shop to order yours today.

Co-dependent dogs

2010-10-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is easy to think of two dogs as "bonded" when the situation is something more complex and less healthy. We've had Frisby and Nimh here in foster care for over a month now and when I first met them I was sure that it was necessary to adopt them out together. I kept them in the same big crate at night, fed them together, etc.

However the longer we had them, the more I realized that it was more co-dependency than anything else that formed their bond. Both dogs had been together for a month in the shelter and according to paperwork they had been surrendered together as well. Nimh has a strong personality and is bold and a little high-strung. Frisby on the other hand is somewhat timid and shy. When together Nimh bossed Frisby around constantly and then when she felt threatened would look to him for a reason to keep barking at something.

After talking with friends who had seen these behaviors before I started working on splitting the two up to see if they could handle it. The first night I made the mistake of trying to go cold turkey and after several hours of barking and whining gave in. Talked with someone on New Rattitude's behavior modification team and then tried again. First it was separate wire crates set right next to each other. Next, we slowly moved the crates a little further apart each morning and by night time they were used to the wider distance. Now the crates are across the room from each other but still mostly in line of sight. After they get used to this I'll start easing the crates so they are no longer in each other's sight.

All this moving apart has made a big difference, especially for Frisby. In the past he didn't do anything on his own and mostly followed Nimh around to bark at whatever she was barking at. Now he explores on his own, and just this week started playing chase and doing rattie runs around the backyard. BIG PROGRESS!!! Nimh isn't barking like she used to and is learning to play with the other dogs without trying to constantly boss them around. She loved to wrestle with Elvis but now that he's been adopted has decided that wrestling with Kanga is pretty fun too.

Another thing that has happened during this process? House-trained!!! Crate training works and no dog is too old to be house-trained. These 4 year olds had never been house-trained but now they run for the door when it's time and as long as they are kept on a schedule we don't have any accidents. Yay!!!

The photo above shows Frisby, Nimh and Kanga enjoying some snuggle time on the back of the couch. They are our current 3 foster dogs.

Elvis has left the building...again

2010-10-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, sweet Elvis, a boy we first fostered back in June, was returned to us about a month ago. Honestly, he was the last guy that I thought would be returned but I was glad they didn't keep him if he was as afraid of them and their home as they said.

None of the fear aggressive issues were seen here but I did see problems with leash aggression due to high levels of anxiety when he was near a street.

Tonight he went to his new home and I'm crossing my fingers that all will go well. He got pretty stressy during goodbyes and was being somewhat alpha with Pearl and tried to start a fight a couple times. It's not behaviour that I've ever witnessed with him but I can tell he was ramped up and the best bet will be for him to be kept separate for awhile until he settles and feels safe enough to just be himself in the home and then there won't be an issue. His doggy sis, Pearl (was called McMuffin with New Rattitude so you may remember her), is as easy going a rat terrier as you'll ever meet so I think she'll forgive and forget his bad manners tonight.

In this photo you see Pearl watching as Elvis desecrates her beloved Skinneeez squirrel. He then went onto growl at her when she tried to take the squirrel back. She really was quite tolerant of him but a girl does have limits. So send calming thoughts to Elvis and Pearl and their parents as they work on integrating this nervous little guy into their household.

Need your help

2010-10-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, our 3 Washington foster homes are stuffed full of dogs right now and unable to take anymore but there are so many dogs that I see daily, with very little time before they are put to sleep. Pictured is Oso, a five year old goofball rat terrier who was dumped at a shelter in California. He's labeled as a beagle-Chihuahua but looks pretty rattie to me. Whatever he is I've got nowhere to put him and will try to cross my fingers and hope he makes it out.

The most common excuse for not fostering is that people think that it will break their heart to care for a dog and then have to give it away to someone else. It will. But each time it gets easier and with each new foster dog you will realize that there are so many more out there that need you more that just one dog. Each one is deserving of love and care and the chance for a loving home. By making the sacrifice of letting your heart break a little, you will save lives. If I had kept Smudge, my first tiny little foster in December 2007, the other 50 dogs that I fostered after him would not be alive.

The second excuse/myth that I'd like to debunk is that you can't afford the vet care of a foster dog. The fact is that New Rattitude will cover the vetting of your foster (some limits and pre-approval of non-core vet care), they will reimburse for flea treatment, pay a food stipend... There will be some expenses but they are minor and also can be written off of your taxes since New Rattitude is a non-profit organization.

Final excuse is not knowing what to do. New Rattitude has a team of people to help mentor new volunteers, a state coordinator to answer any questions that might come up, and all kinds of great people willing to help you with any questions you have and to support you when that sweet dog that you save is able to go home.

If you'd like to learn more about fostering for New Rattitude check out our fostering page.

Photo of Oso is by Mia Anelli Photography - a lady who takes portraits of dogs in desperate need of rescue at the East Valley shelter in Van Nuys, California. Photos are then shared on Facebook and other spots in hopes of finding rescue spots/homes for them.

Still crazy...

2010-10-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

We've now reached a new level of craziness here with 8 dogs at the house. Last winter when we fostered Star's litter of pups we had 9 in the house but at least with the pups the mess was contained to as far as they could toss their poo through the wires of their ex-pen. The 2 extras aren't fosters - we're dogsitting some friends' dogs and to give them credit they are easy dogs compared to any of the other 6 in the house. Actually, individually none of the dogs are difficult dogs but when you put them together in this big of a pack it makes life difficult.

Nimh and Elvis both have possible adopters so at least there is hope for a calmer household in the future. After they go home we are going to try to keep it to 2 fosters at a time for awhile to give ourselves a break after the crazy summer of foster overload at our house.

Kanga is a month past her surgery now and although she still lifts her leg to walk, she uses it fully when playing with Elvis. I'm thinking she'll be ready for surgery number 2 in another 4 weeks.

I decided to split up Frisby and Nimh because although they are bonded, it is more a co-dependent bond that tends to bring out the worst in both of them. Nimh likely has a home but Frisby will still be looking. He's a cute little 11 pound guy who is a bit anxious so should probably not be in a home with kids or large dogs. He loves to snuggle and is great with people as long as they aren't wild, crazy and loud.

Well, that's the latest. Happy October to you all!

The latest from the hound house

2010-09-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

Sweet Lucas found a great home and was handed off to his new family on Sunday. I just E-mailed them to see how the transition was going. This sweet little guy can be a bit growly in new situations but he found a hardcore dog family who will happily give him the time and space to get used to his new family. His 12 year old Jack Russell Terrier sister should keep him in line if his new mom and dad are too soft with him though. :)

Since Lucas went home we had room finally for Elvis to join us. He had been staying with an adopter after being returned because of being overly fearful in his new home. He's doing great here and has been acting as a physical therapy assistant for Kanga. When she plays she forgets to hold her leg up and Elvis always wants to play. Kanga is happy to join in and gets regular sessions of using her leg. It is really speeding up recovery.

Frisby and Nimh are continuing to work on housetraining so they do spend a lot of time crated which is kind of a bummer. They went to work with me one day last week but Nimh wanted to be held all day so it didn't work very well. Even though she is 8 pounds she thinks she's a pocket dog. They are hilarious together and so cute and tiny. If you know of anyone who might be willing to offer this dynamic duo a loving home, point them my way. Their image event album can be found at http://imageevent.com/newrattitude/frisbyandnimh I can't take any new fosters until I find a home for at least 2 of my fosters because we are so full right now.

Oh - don't forget to enter your photos in the New Rattitude Rat Terrier Calendar contest! They are accepting entries until 9/30 over at http://www.newrattitude.org/

New Rattitude's Rat Terrier Calendar Contest!!!

2010-09-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

Starting on September 15th entries will be accepted for New Rattitude's 2nd annual calendar contest. Last year's calendar was incredible and I'm guessing that there are some more stunning photos out there waiting to be entered in this year's contest. Here's how it works:

Winning photos will be featured in New Rattitude's second annual calendar, which will be on sale in early November. 100% of the proceeds from the photo contest and calendar sales will go toward the rescue and care of needy rat terriers.

Entries for our 2011 New Rattitude Rat Terrier Rescue Calendar are being accepted September 15-30th. Entries must be purebred rat terriers or close mixes. They don't have to be rescue dogs, but let us know if they are! Submissions must include at least one rat terrier, but may include other rat terriers too. No humans may be in the photograph. Other animals may be in the photograph, but preference will be given to photos that are primarily focused on rat terriers.

The entry fee is $2.00 per submission, or $5.00 for three photo submissions, $10.00 for six photo submission, etc. Only entries of digital photos submitted electronically will be accepted.

Photos will be judged by the New Rattitude Rat Terrier Rescue Calendar Committee panel of judges. Winners will be announced no later than October 15, 2010. All winners will be featured in New Rattitude's 2011 calendar and receive a free calendar! The top prize-winning photo will also win a $25 Petsmart Gift Card! Calendars will be available for sale by early November.

For more information on how to submit your photo and the contest rules and guidelines check out the contest Webpage at http://www.newrattitude.org/fundraising.htm

The Great Butter Debaucle of 2010

2010-09-05T16:43:00.001-07:00

Troy had prepared a delicious dinner of corn on the cob, and an Asian sesame chicken salad. I was in the living room and he just stepped out of the kitchen for a minute. When he came back into the kitchen there was Lucas, standing in the middle of the table looking at him. Well, at first all we could think of was "ick! dog on the dinner table!" Then Troy said, "wait a minute, where did the butter go?"

Now, one would think that a dog would make a mess of eating off the table, throwing around food and leaving tell-tale traces they had been diggin' in. Not Lucas. He quickly went about his work with precision skill. The stick of real butter was missing but there was not a trace of butter on the table or floor. The dinner plates looked untouched, and yet, he's a dog! There's no way he sat up there with that food and didn't eat something.

Because a stick of butter isn't healthy for anyone but especially not when you are a 13 pound little dog we had to get Lucas to vomit up his prize or risk the possibility of a bout of pancreatitis. A teaspoon of peroxide was administered (NO IPECAC for DOGS! It is dangerous) soaked into a bagel and then we waited 15 minutes. Then a second piece with a 2nd tsp of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Then we waited another 20 minutes and realized the peroxide was old and it doesn't work unless the bottle is really fresh. As soon as Troy left for the store though, up the butter started to come, leaving the kitchen smelling a bit like a movie theater lobby.

Anyhow, the next day all is well and Lucas is back to 100%. But just a tip for all you dog folks out there, especially those with chow hounds like mine. A fresh, unopened bottle of hydrogen peroxide is a must have for your doggy emergency kit. Replace it 2 times a year to make sure you always have this on hand.

A crazy couple days of rescue

2010-09-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

I really need to post to the blog more often so I don't have these huge posts to keep things up to date. Since I last reported we have had 5 new dogs arrive in WA and the big news is that 2 of them already have possible homes! Two arrived on Sunday and then 3 more flew in yesterday during one of the busiest rescue days I've ever experienced.

So here's a bit of info about our new crew in WA and I'll follow that with updates on the dogs who were already here.

Kanga: Kanga came from a Milwaukee shelter that is very low kill, however because of her luxating patella she was deemed unadoptable and scheduled to be euthanized. In stepped our WI state coordinator who pulled Ms. Kanga and fostered her for a week or so until we could get her transported down to Chicago for the flight. She had her first surgery yesterday and it ends up she had no groove for the patella to sit in at all! Not even a shallow one. That problem is now fixed and in 4 to 6 weeks she'll be ready for the other leg to be fixed. Special thanks to Edgewood Veterinary who always does such a great job on these surgeries and who are incredibly rescue friendly. We love you guys!! Kanga is shown in the picture above.

RJ/McLovin: This little 10 pound boy came from a rural IL shelter and is a little heart-throb. SOOOO cute! Poor boy had been in awful conditions at the shelter and had urine burns on his paws and worst of all, his testicles were like one big open sore. The shelter had reported that he didn't like to be held. Well would you like it if a person was holding you and squeezing your bloody McNuggets? The sores are already starting to heal and he will soon be neutered. This morning I drove him to his Eastern WA foster home where he'll get some TLC. It looks like one of Jett's overflow apps is interested in him so he should be able to go home in about 2 weeks when all the paperwork is done and his vetting is current.

Doc: Doc is a young, excited, big goofball of a boy. Although he can be wild, he does settle and will look at you with his big brown eyes and give a kiss. He came from South Bend IN and had been listed on New Rattitude's urgent list for a couple weeks. He also was shown to one of the apps who had been interested in Jett and may have a home with them.

Frisby and Nimh aka "The Dynamic Duo": Frisby and Nimh are rat terrier/chihuahua mixes who were surrendered together and have been together their whole life. This 4 year old pair does everything together, often in unison, and are very well behaved. Mr. Frisby is 10 pounds and is tan and white and Ms. Nimh is 8 pounds and is tan. Because they are so bonded our goal is to adopt these two out together. They came from a shelter in rural southern IL.

Okay so that's the new crew. Here's news on the old crew. Quimby has a great application and if the home visit goes as well as the interviews have will be going home this weekend sometime. She was spayed yesterday and came home in the evening. Today she has all her gumption back so we are having to keep her crated so she won't overdo it. McMuffin was adopted by a couple who had originally applied for Jett. I brought her back to the west side from her Yakima foster home and she will go home this evening. Lucas is meeting up with a possible adopter this evening. If all goes well he'll go home when they are back from vacation in a week and a half or so. Little Fleck, the 5 mo. old puppy from Stockton CA is available for adoption still.

Run for the Ratties Lure Coursing Event

2010-08-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

New Rattitude's Midwest team will be putting on a very fun event in Kenosha Wisconsin that will benefit New Rattitude. The lure coursing event will include a delicious lunch, a store selling New Rattitude's ReTail items and more. Why am I telling my mostly Washington state readers about this? Well you can donate money so a New Rattitude foster dog will get to join in the fun and run the course. If you haven't heard about lure coursing, it is a rat terrier's dream sport. Check out www.lurecoursingfanatics.com to learn more about this fun sport.

Anyhow, for every $5 donated a foster dog will get to run the course along with the other dogs with paying parents. All money raised will go towards the vetting expenses of our rescued rat terriers. To learn more about the event or donate check out the event Webpage at http://www.newrattitude.org/fundraising.htm

Same old same old

2010-08-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

Not a whole lot new going on since I last posted. Quimby is still with us and still growing like a weed. Not sure how her app is going to work out so I think I'll be needing to put her on Petfinder soon. She's almost 3 months old now and will be spayed on the 1st and then will be all ready to go to her forever home.

Lucas is still waiting for a good home. He's a sweet little rattie/doxie guy - about 4 years old and really loves lap time and hanging with people. He does fine with the other dogs but gets a bit overwhelmed by Quimby's rambunctious nature.

Jett has a great application and everything is a pass so far. Sometime today his home visit was done so I'm guessing he'll be ready to go home next week sometime.

The old guy who I wanted to rescue ended up being picked up by his family, which wasn't necessarily a good thing as he was showing a lot of signs of neglect. Well, the shelter in that small town knows that if he shows up again at the shelter as a stray that he has a spot with New Rattitude.

Currently in the works is a pull and transport of 3 rescues from high kill shelters in the Midwest. Kanga from Wisconsin was labeled unadoptable because she has luxating patella and was scheduled for euthanasia. I've fostered 4 dogs with New Rattitude so far with this congenital defect and after a quick surgery they bounced back to 100% very quickly. So 1 year old bouncy Ms. Kanga will be fostered with us and we'll take her in for surgery and have her here recuperating with us. The other 2 dogs will be males as right now there are about 5-6 males who are very urgent in IN and IL shelters. Unfortunately we only have room for 2 of them so whomever has the least amount of time left before their put to sleep date will be the ones chosen. The 3 new kiddoes will fly to WA from O'Hare on either the 30th or the 31st of August.

McMuffin, who we had with us for awhile and who is being fostered in Yakima now has a very good application and I think she will be very happy with the couple who have applied. Oh, and 2 - 5 mo. old pups from a high kill shelter in Central CA were rescued and are now here in WA. The boy on the west side of the state has an application and will probably go home next week but Fleck, his brother, is still waiting for a good home.

So I think that's it for this week for the latest WA rat terrier rescue status report. :)

The weekly pupdate

2010-08-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

After just a week of fostering here in WA, handsome Mr. Jett has not one but 2 apps interested in him. The first folks who applied will be coming to meet him tomorrow night. He's such a sweet guy, just a little insecure since he's been through so much in his life. With a little time to adjust he will make an incredible family dog.

McMuffin is in her Yakima foster home and doing much better health-wise. She's keeping busy investigating their gopher and mole holes and has proven herself to be quite the huntress. No squirrel is safe under her watch.

Little puppy Quimby is growing like a weed and keeping everyone laughing. That girl ended up with a double dose of personality. What a goofball.

Lucas, the rat terrier/dachshund mix, will be arriving on Monday. He's being transferred from another foster home that is in an area without many adopters. Hopefully this sweet, young, easy going guy will have better luck in Washington. He has the body of a doxie but the head and spots of a rat terrier. Pretty dang cute.

The latest news is that I am in the process of trying to rescue a senior rat terrier, about 11-12 years, and get him to WA to be fostered. His put to sleep date is Saturday so we are crossing our fingers that everything will work out for the transports. We will also have some other dogs coming to WA to fill several open foster spots at other foster parents' homes so stay tuned for who will be heading to the Evergreen State in the next couple weeks!

Thanks to those of you who are watching our foster dogs for us while we go camping. We love our fosters but camping with our own 2 dogs in our tent is more than enough.

Remember Poppy?

2010-08-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

Last year we had a really rough summer. Sweet Callista, a dog we rescued from Dallas, came to us with distemper and exposed 3 puppies. Callista, and the puppies Bugsy and Kewpie had to be put to sleep when the disease moved into their brain, but Poppy survived with only a mild case of the disease. It was definitely our family's darkest hours of fostering and I considered quitting at that point because of the emotional toll it had taken on us. We perservered though and since then have been blessed to have rescued another dozen or more dogs.

Her adoptive family just sent me this great video of her that celebrates her first year with them. Enjoy!

Animoto video - Poppy: My cute dog

Jett, Quimby and McMuffin

2010-08-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

The dogs arrived from Georgia and everyone is doing great now. Poor McMuffin, who is actually heading to her foster home in Yakima tomorrow, has a whole host of shelter health issues that we are getting under control - ear mites, conjunctivitis, finishing treatment for a respiratory infection, skin issues and bloody stool. In spite of it all she is friendly and playful and some family is going to end up with an absolutely amazing dog once we get her all healthy.

Jett is such a sweet loving guy - about 5 years old and 18 pounds. He doesn't do well with big dogs or with any alpha male dogs but has been getting along great with our personal dogs. He is playful without being hyper, is housetrained, and loves snoozing on a lap. We are pretty fond of the guy.

Quimby is more cute than pictures can show but my lord, she's a little fireball. I took her to a friend's house who has a husky and a golden retriever and both dogs were a little perplexed by this tiny little bouncy thing with very sharp teeth. Maggie, the 1 year old retriever, played with Quimby until both of them were too exhausted to stand and could just bat at each other without actually getting to their feet. I'm guessing that she'll be the alpha of whatever house she ends up at. She is full of terrier 'tude. Jett likes to play with her but sometimes I'll see him walking along, tail between his legs with Quimby hanging from his cheek by her teeth. We have to watch her because the other dogs aren't the type to put her in her place when she gets too rough. Where's Franny when you need her?! LOL.

The photo above shows camera shy Jett and NEVER shy Quimby.

Lucas, a rat terrier dachshund mix, will be arriving on this coming Monday. He has a dachshund body but a rat terrier's markings (white with tan spots) and is great with dogs and people but afraid of children.

Empty nest...for 2 days

2010-07-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

Our three fosters, Elvis, Gatsby and Emma, all went home in the last three days so now we are down to just the 2 house dogs. It is so calm! I can't say it's quiet since my personal dogs are louder than any foster I've ever had, but there is less movement as Elvis and Emma aren't staging regular wrestling matches in the middle of the living room.

On Wednesday we have a 2 year old girl arriving from Illinois - Jessie - who we'll have until Saturday when she heads to her foster home in Eastern WA. Then after a quiet weekend we'll welcome a load of 4 dogs at Sea-tac Airport on Monday the 2nd. One of those dogs, a 1-2 year old girl named McMuffin, will also head East to Yakima after spending a few days with us. The other 3 will be staying.

The plan was to just foster 2 dogs and all was working as planned. Jett is a 5 year old male who is being returned by his adopters because him and his pugly brother do not get along. The issue seems to be more on the pugs side but since the pug was first then Jett will be the one leaving. He'll be transported from his home in Virginia to Atlanta where the flight to SEA originates.

The other dog will be Tippy, who was pulled from a particularly awful shelter in Louisiana. She has been being fostered in LA but since that foster home has too many dogs right now and can only temp Ms. Tippy she will be heading here. Tippy will be ground transported from her foster home in LA to Atlanta.

McMuffin, the female heading to Yakima, was just pulled today from a high kill shelter in Georgia. When the New Rattitude volunteer went there to pull her from the shelter there was another rat terrier who had been recently dumped. This little gal was just a baby, likely around 8 weeks old, and it is always extremely risky for dogs of that age to be in shelters because their immune system isn't mature. The NR volunteer pulled her from the shelter and figured she'd find some place that could squeeze a cute little pup in.

Since the plane was already booked to be flying 4 dogs for New Rattitude and we only had 3 thanks to a transport falling through I decided we'd find room for this little girl. We're kind of looking forward to having a baby in the house again (1 is so much easier than a litter of 5). We've named her Quimby after the Beverly Cleary children's book character "Ramona Quimby".

So watch for photos coming soon of the new load of fosters winging their way to Washington. In the meantime, here's a picture of little Quimby at the shelter. She's safe at a temporary foster home right now.

Deiab pupdate

2010-07-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

I just heard from one of Deiab's moms about how he's doing. This guy was the middle pup in Star's litter of fluffy rat terrier mix pups. Poor Star - none of the pups look even remotely like their rattie mom, but boy are they cute.

Deiab has learned how to swim and loves swimming out to fetch sticks. He's a very well trained pup and his moms really love his goofy, loving personality.

Isn't he looking good!

Speuter day

2010-07-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Gatsby and Emma are at the vet's office today for their speuter surgeries and various other things and it is so quiet at home with only our personal dogs and Elvis here. Emma and Elvis are usually wild and crazy together so he's a bit bored I think.

Gatsby will have his weird rear dew claws removed - well, at least one set. It's so strange because he actually has 2 dew claws on each of his rear legs - one on the side and another on the back. They will take the back ones off for sure and the side ones only if they are completely unarticulated. They are pretty floppy - we'll see.

Emma is also having a heartworm test. Cross your paws for her. It's really expensive to have HW treatment done in WA state since there aren't any heartworms in Western WA. Since heartworms come from fleas and she was so flea infested I'm a bit worried. We did discover that the fleas gave her tapeworm so that was treated this week. Poor girl. Both dogs will have their microchips inserted as well and I'll pick them up this afternoon.

Elvis' app has been approved and the contract sent and he'll be heading home early next week when his new family is back from a camping vacation. Both Gatsby and Emma have great apps in Seattle and all that is left before approval is the home visit.

Already we are thinking about the who to save next. Right now New Rattitude has several foster dogs who are needing to switch foster homes for various reasons and I will probably be getting one of them. I'm also looking at an owner surrender in GA - the lady lost her home and is trying to avoid taking her dog to the area shelter, which is a notoriously bad one. As you all know, things can change a thousand times before the flight actually leaves the ground with dogs bound for WA so we'll see what transpires.

Congrats to Emma and Gatsby for quickly finding very wonderful homes.

Meet and greets

2010-07-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

Lots of foster dogs meeting and greeting yesterday:

Gatsby met the guys who have applied to adopt him and he really took to them, which is a big deal for shy, nervous Gatsby. It looks like this may be a good match for him.

Elvis met the other half of the couple who has applied to adopt him. I think that Elvis will really enjoy life with their active fur-girl, Roxy who loves to play just as much as Elvis does.

Emma came to work with me for the last few hours of the day to greet people with her permanent underbite grin. She was a big hit and a couple people have expressed interest in her.

And last but not least, Miss Prairie's adopter picked her up and she left for a home loaded with toys, soft beds, treats and love. Have a great life our sweet little Prairie Dog.

The pack is thinning a bit and I am breathing easier - 4 fosters is definitely overload at our house.

The gangs all here

2010-07-11T17:17:00.000-07:00

Well, most of them, anyhow. Prairie is being babysat at her honorary grandma's house while this house of crazies settles down. She has a very good application and should be heading for her forever home this coming weekend.

The plane load of New Rattitude critters arrived yesterday and the cargo workers were practically begging us to take them away. Nervous from the novel experience of a plane ride the three of them were barking up a storm. They settled right down once were in the car though.

Getting them on the plane was a bit of an adventure for our IL volunteer. She had one of the boys, Gatsby, with her but the other 2 dogs, Emma and Munch, were being transported from their shelters in Western IL to our volunteer and arrived just an hour before she had to get them on the plane. Imagine her surprise when Emma, who was expected to be 15-18 pounds was 25 pounds! Since she didn't have a crate large enough to fly Emma she had to purchase one from the transporter and then rush all the dogs to O'Hare. In addition to being a big girl, poor Emma had a horrible flea infestation.

Luckily I was forewarned about the fleas and was able to talk a customer at work (also an adopter of one of my dogs) to run down the street for me to the vet's and pick up a Capstar. I was leaving for the airport from work and wouldn't have time to get to a vet. Capstar tablets are used to kill all the fleas on a dog within 30 minutes and then are supposed to be followed up with Frontline. At the cargo facility on our end we gave her the Capstar tablet and then as soon as we arrived home Troy gave her a bath while I fed our dogs along with Munch, Elvis and Gatsby. Emma then ate and with a full belly and flea-free she was feeling MUCH better. Her and Elvis chased each other all over the yard and soon Munch and Gatsby joined in and it was a wild blur of spotted dogs.

As you can see in the photo, Emma is a bit of a mutt. We are calling her an honorary rat terrier. She has a wire coat that will be beautiful now that the fleas are gone and her hair will start thickening where she was chewing on herself. Her ears are floppy and it looks like before she became a "stray" she had recently weaned a litter of puppies. She has quite the underbite and all her bottom teeth show when she is relaxed so it looks a bit like she is making a face at you.

Gatsby is a brindle patterned rat terrier and looks like he might have a little Boston terrier in him. He's incredibly thin so we are feeding him a puppy food three times a day and trying to get some weight put back on him.

Munch was transported over the mountains to his foster home in Yakima. He is a pure-bred rattie and is hilarious. He's all crazy puppy and has much more energy than he does coordination. What a fun, wild little guy.

In the photo you can see Emma, playing in the back yard with Elvis.

Lots goin' on

2010-07-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

So we are starting July off with a bang (no fireworks pun intended) and there will be 5 new dogs flying into our 3 WA foster homes this weekend. Thanks to the WA foster parents who are going into overload to make room for these great dogs. Summer is what rescue people call the dumping season. All those Christmas puppies that seemed such a good idea end up at shelters and then you have the people who are planning a long vacation and decide they don't want to bother paying the money for boarding (trust me, this is very common) - whatever the excuses, the animals come into the shelters in droves. I am so impressed as I see the New Rattitude volunteers and other groups working together, sharing transports, networking, doing all they can to rescue as many of these forgotten dogs as possible.

Tomorrow evening the first three fosters will be flying into WA from Chicago. These one of the little guys I've already told you about - Gatsby from IN who was a stray, half starved from his time on the streets. Then we have Munch, a 1 year old pure bred rat terrier who has been in a Southern IL shelter since April. They held him longer than the usually hold since he was so young but due to lack of interest in him he was out of time. Thankfully the shelter works hard to find rescue groups to take their dogs. The other dog is Emma, a very mixy and hairy and adorable terrier who was also in a Southern IL shelter and was scheduled to be put to sleep earlier this week when the IL New Rattitude State Coordinator begged them to wait while she worked her magic. Munch will be heading to a foster home in Yakima where he will hang out with their pack and NR foster girl, Tellie. Gatsby and Emma will be staying here with me. Yep, we have an overly full house right now. However, Prairie has a very good application and I believe she will be heading to her forever home very quickly. She'll meet her new dad on Saturday morning.

Then, on Sunday a flight from Austin TX will bring 2 more dogs to WA. Hirf is an 8 week old rattie mix puppy who has a touch of demodex mange that we will treat. He'll be healthy in no time and ready for a new home then. The other dog I don't know as much about but her name is Bambi and she is under 2 years old, and is a terrier-Chihuahua mix (heavy on the Chihuahua as is the norm in TX.)

So welcome the new crowd to Washington. Hopefully they'll find great homes quickly and we'll be able to save a few more this summer.

Gatsby

2010-07-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

Well, we are full up right now but I couldn't say no to this little guy who was scheduled to be put to sleep either today or tomorrow. We'll find a way to squeeze him in and I'm sure that Elvis will love having another youngster to play with. All of the other dogs just get irritated when he tries to play with them.

Gatsby (was called Shack in the shelter) was a stray for who knows how long and when he was found he was starving. His ribs, spine, hips, all jut out from his body but he is otherwise healthy and VERY happy. He is one of those dogs who seem to grin when they are happy. He is about 1 year old and very playful once he gets to know the place he's in and know that he's safe. His coat has very beautiful brindle markings, I hear, and you can see in the photo that he has radar dish ears that never miss a thing.

Right now he is being temped by the New Rattitude person who pulled him for me, Jessica, until he is ready to be flown to the Seattle area. We look forward to meeting the little guy.

Gatsby was one of about 10-12 rat terriers that were urgent this week. I wish we could save more of them. If you know of anyone who might be interested in fostering, let me know. New Rattitude covers vet bills, flea treatment, and even a stipend for food. All we need is your time and TLC.

Elvis and Prairie

2010-06-28T14:38:00.001-07:00

Well, we are back from vacation and Elvis and Prairie did great with their dogsitters. Both dogs are super easy, house-trained, etc. and I'm guessing that as soon as they are listed on Petfinder the apps will start rolling in for them.

Elvis loves attention so I'm hoping to find him a spot where he won't have to spend a full 8 hours alone each day. The best home for him will have another dog in it as he loves the company of other small dogs. Not too fond of big dogs, though.

Prairie on the other hand would do fine with or without other dogs in her home. She is a lap dog, through and through, and it would be awesome to find this girl someone who is retired and will be able to spend lots of time with her. She loves Elvis and actually likes to use him as a bench to sit down on so she doesn't have to lay on the cold floor.

Both kiddoes are house-trained which is a lovely break from what we are used to. As much as we love them though the summer dumping season has begun so I hope I'll find good homes for them soon as I have a long list of other dogs who are in urgent need of rescue. As usual we have lots of desperate dogs and no foster spots open. sigh.

If you know of someone who would be willing to foster let me know. Through fundraising and adoption fees New Rattitude is able to pay for the vetting, heartworm preventative, flea treatment, and even a stipend for food. We just need folks who have the time and energy to love these dogs until a spot is found for them.

Franny's happy ending

2010-06-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that after a year in foster care our sweet girl, Franny, has found a furever home. This short little rattie had a rough start to her life but will now be settling into a wonderful home and the hurt of the past will just be a bad memory.

Her life started about 5 years ago in a southern Indiana puppymill. She lived there as a breeding bitch for about 4 years until the mill was shut down and Franny found her way into rescue. She spent about 3 months in foster care in Indiana at which point she was transferred to WA where she had a better chance at adoption. And she was adopted here - twice. The first adoption never really went through because Franny attacked the lady's dog at our house when she came to pick her up. The second adoption lasted 5 days. Franny was very panicked and it was discovered that she couldn't be around cats due to her high prey drive and she found their large (very sweet and calm) basset hound intimidating. After that it took over a month to get her calmed down and back to how she was before she left.

Franny had reactive aggression. Aggression seems a strong word because she never bit, but just sounded pretty vicious and scary when she was frightened. When we had new fosters in the house her reaction was to kick butt now and ask questions later. Her idea being that they couldn't attack her if she got them first. Eventually with desensitization she would get used to them but it took a couple weeks.

We decided that we needed to find Franny a home with people who were over-the-top dog lovers but didn't have any animals - not easy to find. But finally, 9 months after she came to us, we found the perfect spot for her. No dogs, no cats, no kids - just 2 parents for her that love to go for walks, live in a neighborhood full of squirrels and gardens and trees - great for sniffing. They have experience with dogs that have anxiety issues and are dedicated to helping Franny relax and feel at home with them.

As a foster parent you always want to feel like your foster dogs are going to a place where they will be cared for as well or better than they were with you. In this case I believe that Franny will be even more comfortable and will get plenty of love and more attention than she did with our wild pack. With so many new foster dogs coming through our house it was stressful for Franny to deal with them. Also, our family's schedule is pretty varied and it was tough for her not having the consistency she thrived on. In her new home it will be just her - Queen Franny - and I believe that is exactly what she needs.

Thanks to her new mom and dad for giving her this chance at happiness and thanks to all the New Rattitude people who helped her along that road from puppymill breeder to loved family member.

Finally: new dogs arriving tomorrow

2010-06-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

Wow! There is all kinds of exciting things going on. First and most exciting of all is our girl Franny has an application. Not just any old app but a really great app that I think would be an incredible home for our little lowrider foster. They are coming out to the house to meet Franny on Sunday and we are super excited.

But before then there is a TON of rescue work going on. After 3 weeks of planning and organizing we finally have not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 (yep that's right) 4 rat terriers flying into Sea-Tac airport from Chicago. The dogs are actually from all over the Midwest and even one from Tennessee. Two of the dogs will stay with us - I'm crazy but not crazy enough to take 4 new ones!

One girl, Cedar, is actually flying to her forever home. She was fostered in Wisconsin and was driven down to Illinois tonight. Her new parents will meet us at the airport to take their new baby home to Bellingham.

Girl, number 2: Tellie was an owner surrender to a high kill shelter near Sweetwater, TN. She was temped for two weeks by one of our Tennessee foster homes and then hitched a ride on a transport of 5 rescued rat terriers coming north from Louisiana on Tuesday. She is a very sweet 2 year old tri-color girl and weighs 12-13 pounds. We will keep her with us until Sunday when we will drive over the mountains to meet her foster mom who will take her to her home in Yakima.

Girl, number 3: Tiny Prairie (named for both where she came from and the Thomas Pynchon character of the same name) was a stray who ended up in the animal shelter in Joliet, IL on March 31st. Thanks to her being so cute and sweet she was able to make it all this time without getting put to sleep, in spite of the fact that the shelter was overcrowded. However, they couldn't hold off forever and it was getting near the end for her. Thankfully our Illinois foster mom was able to pull Prairie and she will be fostered here with us. Prairie is about 5 years old, weighs about 6-7 pounds and will be needing a dental and possibly knee surgery during her time with us. Can't wait to meet her.

Boy, number 4: Elvis is a short little 1 year old (I think) dog who was found running along a busy highway. After almost hitting him someone was able to catch him and took him to the shelter. This scared little guy and 2 other ratties brought in around the same time almost didn't make it out. They were scheduled to be put down but New Rattitude talked them into stalling for a day so we could get a volunteer out there to pull them. The female was adopted but Elvis and another boy, Simon (now Captain), were pulled for New Rattitude foster care. Simon will head to Ohio soon. Elvis is sweet, quiet and a little timid. He is a teddy rat terrier so he has those short little lowrider legs like Franny does. We'll be fostering him but I'm guessing a cute little youngster like Elvis won't last long. The photo shown above is of Elvis.

So tomorrow the dogs come in, Friday Prairie will be spayed and have a dental, Sunday morning we'll take Tellie to Eastern WA, and then Sunday evening Franny will be meeting her possible adopters. Lots of great stuff!

Oh - another great rescue story - Our foster mom in Yakima had a stray little rat terrier that was found on the Yakama Reservation surrendered to her and she will foster this tiny, young girl for New Rattitude. Her name is Winnie and she is very sweet. She is white with unique brindled spots and face. Look for her soon at www.newrattitude.org in the dog house section of the site.

The latest

2010-05-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

So sweet little Tess has come and gone. She was only her for 2 weeks before heading to her loving home! We still have Franny but it will be another week before our next foster arrives.

Washington has 3 fosters coming from the Midwest and South next week. Two females will be fostered by our Yakima foster mom and a male will stay with me. We are planning some vacation time in June so getting someone to stay at the house with the dogs has taken some doing. Actually, the new foster will be watched by a previous adopter and then someone will stay with Franny, Tilly and Frodo and watch the house for us.

Right now I don't have photos of the new WA kiddoes because we aren't totally positive which will end up here but as soon as we have pics they will be posted. They are scheduled to fly here on on Thursday the 3rd so the Midwest team better get moving and find us the 3rd rescue we need! It shouldn't be hard because unfortunately this time of year is what us rescues call the dumping season. Sadly there are always plenty of dogs to choose from at the high kill shelters.

VOTE...but not for New Rattitude

2010-05-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

New Rattitude is in a great place financially right now and we thought it would be nice to put our votes for the bi-annual theanimalrescuesite.com grant contest towards a sister rat terrier organization, Rat Terrier ResQ in Arkansas.

So each day go to www.theanimalrescuesite.com , click to give, then click on the "vote today" link. Choose Rat Terrier ResQ as your shelter and Arkansas as the state. Repeat on every computer you have access to daily.

Thanks so much, guys!

Tess

2010-05-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

So, I've been a bit slow posting about little Tess' arrival in WA and now she already has a good application! Ends up little Tess is house-trained and extremely social with both dogs and people. She's just about as close to perfect as they come and I'm really happy she got a chance to pick out her own mom.

I took Tess to work with me on Saturday and that morning a customer came in who always checks out my latest foster. She picked up Tess and it they both just knew. She held Tess for about 45 minutes, making herself late for an appt. and Tess whined when she put her down. I can't be happier that Tess picked herself out such a great home. Plus, they are close so I'll get to see her occasionally!

I took little Miss into the vet last week to check out the lump on her side and also her knees (she pulls them up sometimes when running in the back yard. Happily her knees were fine - no luxating patella. The lump was a foreign object, likely a small bit of buckshot was the vet's guess, knowing the area that she originally was from. He said it doesn't seem to be bothering her so it can just stay in. So now that we know she is healthy she'll be going in for her spay surgery this week and will be ready for her new home when all the paperwork is out of the way.

Home Visit needed in Bellingham!

2010-05-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

I'll post an update about the fosters later, but right now I wanted to check to see if any of you folks in WA have any dog crazy friends up in Bellingham? We need a home visit done to check out an applicant for a New Rattitude foster. Anyone out there who can help us out?

Tess and the power of online networking

2010-05-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Wow. Who would've thought that Facebook networking would work. Well, yeah, millions think it works but I'm not that social. However, about a month ago I finally was talked into joining and have learned once again the value of online networking.

A friend of a friend of a Facebook friend posted a photo of a dog in Henry County, Georgia who only had a few days left before euthanasia. It just so happens that my foster Quixote has a great app and will be going home soon so I have a foster spot open. I E-mailed the New Rattitude Georgia team to see if someone would go and evaluate her and possibly get her on a plane to me here in Washington.

Happily, this morning one of our volunteers who lives near the shelter pulled her and took her to a temp foster home in Atlanta. They then took her to the vet and had her vaccinated, microchipped, heartworm tested and a health certificate written up so she could fly. She will be put on a plane in Atlanta tomorrow and we will pick her up at Sea-Tac airport in the evening.

She is 7.2 pounds, loves the other dogs at her temp foster home, does well on a leash and wearing a collar and so far seems to be house-trained. She loves all people and has a great temperment. The only thing we will have tested is her rear knee, just in case she has luxating patella since she pulls up one of her legs on occasion.

So welcome Tess to the New Rattitude family.

UPDATE: Claire won the inspiring stories contest and is one step closer to getting her cataract surgery, thanks to the $1,000 prize.

Vote for Claire - round 2

2010-04-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

(Copied with permission from NR's Facebook group page)

As you all know, our Claire was recently entered in the Inspiring Rescue Stories contest. The entries have now been narrowed to the 10 with the most comments and/or YouTube views and Claire is still in the running!!!!

Second round voting started on April 15. Because many of us attended the Jamboree this weekend, we didn't get this announcement out as soon as we would have liked. As a consequence, Claire is WAY behind! The first place dog has 177 votes and poor Claire only has 5 votes.

But we'll fix that, right???? Please tell everyone you know to go to InspiringRescueStor http://www.facebook.com/l/a7b6e;ies.com and vote for Claire! Voting doesn't end until April 30, so there's still plenty of time for us to win.

The Inspiring Rescue Story with the most votes will receive over $1000 worth of prizes, plus 15% of the profits of the book NEW LIVES. The Second Place winner will receive an additional 15% of the profits from the book sales.

We need Claire to win so that money can be raised to cover her cataract surgery. New Rattitude can do this!!! Post everywhere.. ..with your help Claire can leap to the top of the results list. Spread the word -- VOTE FOR CLAIRE!!!! Here's the link to the voting page

Almost time for the Jamboree!

2010-04-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

Only a few days left until Rat Terrier Jamboree time and I'm SOOOO excited. Even the nasty overnight plane ride that I'll have to take to get there Thursday morning isn't getting me down. It's all part of the adventure.

Little Vivi (see her pics on Flickr) will be catching a ride home with me from the Jamboree. I wasn't going to take in anymore fosters until we are back from our vacation but since Vivi is a young pup she will be adopted long before we leave. Vivi (named after a character in the book "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood") is a sweet little 10 week old girl who started out her life in a puppymill and from there ended up in a pet store. She was purchased from the store by someone who hadn't done their homework because when baby Vivi wasn't immediately house trained she was dropped off at an animal shelter. The shelter employee told the owner that they should probably stick to stuffed animals in the future if they didn't want to deal with dog pee.

The shelter notified New Rattitude and she was pulled by the Indiana state coordinator who is temporarily fostering her until Jamboree. I will take delivery of little Viv at the Jamboree and happily this year I will actually have a rat terrier with me and not be the "lady without a dog".

The photo above is from last year's Jamboree. Newman the dog is discussing the merits of the cow vs. the dog bottle buddy toy with his mom at the New Rattitude ReTail booth. I'll be working the booth again this year so stop by and say hi. For more photos of last years event and to see day by day photos posted of this years event while it happens, check out the SE Rat Terrier Jamboree Website.

Quixote

2010-04-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

Mr. Q is the lovingest dog ever! Although he can be a bit cranky about his feet being touched (someone must have quicked his nails badly - they are all black so easier to cut off too much) this guy just loves to snuggle. If a lap isn't available he will just curl up on top of someones feet.

We have had some clear weather and he and the gang are loving play time in the back yard. He loves to explore and chase Frodo around and especially liked playing with foster pup, Jake, before he went to his new home.

Quixote has an application so we are crossing our fingers that it will be a good home for him. Hopefully they will want to meet him this weekend. If things work out he might go home before I get back from the Rat Terrier Jamboree in Tennessee next week. I'll likely be bringing a foster puppy back with me on the plane so this might be a good thing. :)

The Latest

2010-04-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

So all sorts of stuff has happened since I last blogged and life has been getting in the way of me keeping the blog up to date.

Quixote arrived and is the best little guy. He had his knee surgery and this week the bandages were removed. Now the challenge is getting him to start putting weight on the leg again since he's a bit of a wuss and avoids any chance of pain at all costs. It's only been a few days though so we'll see how he's doing in another week. In the photo above you can see him all wrapped up and enjoying a cone-free moment.

Franny took awhile to get used to Quixote but with 2 weeks of slow introduction they now are actually wrestling and playing tug together. This is going to be key in getting Franny acclimated in a new home. She just needs someone who is calm and patient and will slowly let her adjust. When it comes to people though she is quick to adopt you as her new best friend, especially if you pet her and hand her a few treats. Then her nub starts wagging so fast it just looks like a blur.

Sweet little Jake has an application all the way over in Edmonton, Alberta. He will have a rattie brother and sister to keep him company up there and get to spend lots of time hiking, the lucky little guy.

Frodo had a lesion removed from his left front armpit. We were pretty scared about it, but thankfully it was just a benign histiocytoma so there's nothing to worry about now. Both he and Quixote are very happy that they are now cone-free.

Only a couple weeks until the Rat Terrier Jamboree in Sweetwater, Tennessee. I'll be flying there to hang out and enjoy all the other rat terrier fans and getting a chance to meet the rescuers that I spend so much time communicating online about. It is absolutely beautiful country-side there in SE Tennessee and the April weather in gorgeous. If you ever have some vacation time in April I highly recommend attending.

The good boy

2010-03-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

Mr. Jake has settled in fine and is still a great little guy. He's only had a couple of accidents in the house and although he's still going through his puppy chewing stage he prefers bones and JW squeakie toys to anything else so the furniture is safe. lol. Honestly, I'm flabbergasted that I haven't gotten an application for this guy because he's such a mellow little pup. Typically the youngsters get adopted almost as soon as they are listed on Petfinder.com.

We will have a full house pretty soon as Quixote is finally over his cough and will likely be flying to Washington by this Saturday at the latest. Quixote is 2 years old and will be having knee surgery on one of his hind legs before he is ready to be adopted. We'll post photos and a report as soon as he arrives.

Jake

2010-03-08T16:46:00.000-08:00

Quixote is working his way through kennel cough and is unable to fly to WA until he gets better so while we are waiting for him we decided to take on another guy. Jake is 8 months old and had been in an Atlanta no kill shelter/rescue that closed its doors. New Rattitude took on Jake's mom, dad and his sister Lilly. Mom stayed at a foster home in Atlanta, dad went to Florida and Lilly and Jake flew to open spots in Washington.

He's a very sweet tempered guy who loves dogs and people of all ages. All the dogs here are enjoying him and they practically fight over whose turn it is to play with Jake.

Since he's young, sweet and already neutered and up to date on vaccinations I'm guessing that we won't have this sweet boy for long.

Anxiously awaiting Quixote!

2010-03-04T19:58:00.000-08:00

It looks like our next foster will be Quixote, a 2 year old type B (teddy) male rat terrier. Quixote was in a Michigan shelter and was deemed unadoptable because of a grade 4 luxating patella. New Rattitude was desperately looking for a spot for this guy - the shelter notified us about him on a Saturday and gave us until Monday to find a spot for him. We said we would take him and the shelter was contacted but they were only willing to hold him until Wednesday and we had to rush to figure out a way to get him transported to a temporary foster home in Michigan until he is able to fly out of Chicago to Seattle.

Once he gets here he'll have his knee surgery and after a few weeks of recuperation will be ready to find a home of his own. His temporary foster home says that he's a sweet little guy who loves snuggling and playing with both humans and other dogs alike. We hope that he'll be able to fly here next week sometime.

The photo above was taken at the Michigan shelter that Quixote was originally at.

New Rattitude on Facebook

2010-03-02T09:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have to admit that I am one of those behind the times people who have never bothered with creating a Facebook account. However, if you are not as backwards as I am and have an account, consider connecting up with our group on Facebook. There you'll learn the latest happenings with New Rattitude and some very cool dog stories, so consider becoming a fan.

Cricket and more

2010-02-28T19:17:00.000-08:00

Wow. Things are crazy here in WA as we try to find spots for the dogs we learn of who are urgently awaiting rescue. The coolest story lately is about Cricket. I was notified by the Tacoma Humane Society about a 14 year old rat terrier at the shelter who was deemed not adoptable due to her grade 4 heart murmur and old age. She had been turned down by a couple local rescues and if they couldn't find a rescue spot for her soon she would be put to sleep. Her owner of 14 years had surrendered her because she was moving into a new apartment that didn't allow pets. Poor girl was so scared.

At first I didn't think there was a spot for her in our WA foster homes but our foster parent in Yakima stepped in and volunteered to foster her until she found a home or even just to provide hospice care for her if it came to that.

So Friday Cricket was sprung from the shelter. She was a spry little thing and liked to talk to people with the most hilarious sounds. Yesterday she was transported up to North Bend where her foster parent picked her up to take her over the mountain. Now she will be loved and cared for and hang with the rest of their family pack.

We had spoken up for 2 puppies out of a litter of 4 who were originally in Louisiana. Unfortunately they ended up with diarrhea and can't fly. So they have been ground transported to a foster home in Wisconsin and instead we will be getting a 2 year old male who was scheduled to be euthanized on the 1st. Transport is still being arranged but the hope is that he'll be here by next weekend. He seems like a nice boy and should get along well with the pack. Poor guy has a luxating patella on one of his rear legs and will need surgery soon after he arrives.

That's the latest. The photo above is of little Cricket, taken at the Tacoma Humane Society Shelter.

2010 Name theme

2010-02-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

Last year we tried something different and picked a space theme for the names of all our fosters for 2009. Well, there were a few exceptions - like when a dog came with a name they had had for awhile or when we let the person who rescued them name a dog (Abby, Poppy and Kewpie, Franny). We had Rocket and Stella, Laika, Star and her trekkie puppies, Armstrong and Sally Ride, Spock, Aurora, and many more.

Since Katie was a returned dog and already had a name we didn't change it but watch for our next fosters to have names chosen based on our 2010 theme: literary characters. If Katie's current application works out we may have some little "characters" to name sooner than expected.

Katie and Franny

2010-02-20T08:36:00.000-08:00

Well, it was discovered that Franny does not mix well with cats and big dogs so she was returned and is back here at home with us. Unfortunately, Katie is a big dog. Well, big as far as 12 pound Franny is concerned. So life has been a bit complicated trying to keep these two completely separate. Franny is gated in the kitchen with a bed and toys and Katie is out in the living room and comes to work with me. Franny is settling down now that she sees Katie isn't a threat but still not enough where I trust her off leash around her.

This may not be a problem much longer, however, because Katie already has an application that looks good. They are coming out to meet her tomorrow and hopefully this big lug of a rat terrier will have found someone who will love and care for her forever. She's such a good girl - so loving - and I know that whoever ends up with her will be very lucky indeed.

Claire - help us win the money to help Claire!

2010-02-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

This is the sad, horrible before photo but you need to click on the link below to see Claire after her foster mom in Wisconsin nursed her back to health.

The story of New Rattitude's precious foster dog Claire has been entered in a contest at InspiringRescueStories.com. The contest winner receives $1,000 worth of dog-related prizes, plus the author of "New Lives" (a book of inspiring rescue stories) will donate 15% of the proceeds from the sale of her book between now and April 30 to the winning organization.

You can view Claire's story here:
http://www.inspiringrescuestories.com/2009/02/01/claires-story/

What does it take to win? Comments! You only need to fill in your name, email address, and a short reply at the bottom of the webpage containing Claire's story. The more comments we get on Claire's story, the better are our chances of winning.

Please spread the message of hope, and the power of a second chance to everyone you know and ask them to comment on Claire's story also!

Here are a few ways to tell others:
-Email friends and family
-Facebook status updates
-Myspace posts
-Phone friends and family
-If you have a blog, write about it there

Thanks so much for your help with this. Claire is truly an inspiring girl and we want to raise the money for her cataract surgery.

Dog juggling

2010-02-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

Boy, I thought things were crazy when the puppies were getting ready to go home! Once again it's busy because of all the dogs coming and going.

Happily, Franny has finally found a home to call her own and will be moving there this Friday. There she will be welcomed by her new mom, a son, and a new furry basset hound sister. I really think that Franny will be happy here and I KNOW that she will be well loved.

Star has also struck gold and will likely be going home next week. All that's left is the home visit before the family is approved. They came out to the Pet Market to meet her and it was love at first site (when Star wasn't trying to shoplift bison bullies). She will be an only child, but who knows. Maybe awhile down the road we can talk them into finding her a sister or brother. ;)

That takes us down to zero fosters so Saturday we will be welcoming Samantha back into the New Rattitude fold (seen in the photo above.) Sam is a returned dog. Some of you may remember way back a year ago that one of our foster parents here in Washington fostered New Rattitude's first litter of puppies. Allie the rat terrier gave birth to 2 humongous puppies and as they grew we figured out they were probably boxer/rattie mixes. The pups' names where Benny and Katie. Well poor Katie has been returned twice - not her fault - but she's had bad luck. In November 2009 she was returned because her owner was having financial difficulties and also didn't have time for her. She was adopted almost immediately but her new home has an elderly person living there and with Katie being an active 32 pound puppy, you can see how problems might arise. So as of Saturday Katie, now called Samantha or Sam, will be fostered at our home. We will work on basic training with her and hopefully find a home that could use a loveable, energetic medium sized dog.

Two other Washington fosters look like they will be heading home soon. Mila will be moving from Yakima to her home in Issaquah and Fisher has a good application in Federal Way. Congratulations to all these great rescued dogs who have found a permanent home.

Rattie Idol: Season 2 - accepting entries now!

2010-02-03T15:14:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again, folks! Rattie Idol Season 2 has begun and you only have until February 10th to get your entries in. This year there are three categories to compete in: Rattie Cutie-pie, Rattie Performer, and Rattie Style. In the rattie performer section we are looking for photos of ratties doing what they do best: agility, hunting squirrels, flyball, dog shows.... For rattie style we are looking for well-dressed dogs, either just dressed to go out for a walk, or in costume.

It only costs $5 to enter a photo and all proceeds will go towards caring for rescued rat terriers so hurry and get your entries in today! Go to the Rattie Idol page on http://www.newrattitude.org/ for more info.

The photo above is of one of Star's puppies - Hurley/Rom. I'm thinking of entering it in the cutie pie section. Can't get much cuter than that!

Puppyless in Seattle

2010-02-01T08:53:00.000-08:00

All the pups have headed to their forever homes and are settled in and doing well. The office is clean and empty of puppy paraphernalia and I no longer have to get up an hour early to be able to get all the morning dog chores out of the way. As much as a relief as it is, we really miss the little fuzzheads. What a sweet little bunch.

So now we are down to Franny and Star. Franny has a good application and assuming all the interview go well she will finally be on her way to her home as well. She has been in foster care nearly a year now - in Indiana from March 2009 to September and here from September 2009 'til now - and is very deserving of a home of her own. Such a little character - we always say she's a bit like that character on the Hallmark cards? Maxine?

Star has had several apps but they always seemed to be folks who had already applied for another dog elsewhere and had Star as a backup dog. Odd because she has a wonderful, loving temperament and I would have thought that she would find a home before all the puppies were ready to go home. Hopefully soon.

The photo above shows Star and Hurley (original name was Rom) wrestling on their last morning together. Star was a great mommy until the end, always taking time to play with the puppies and keep them busy.

Puppies heading home

2010-01-17T15:35:00.001-08:00

The first two of the puppies have headed to their forever homes this weekend and will both live just a mile apart in Seattle. Hopefully they will get to set up some play dates so they get to see each other. Milah will now be called Paisley and Worf's new name is still being decided. I think the list has been narrowed to Fritz, Otto (nodding to his schnauzer heritage) or Moose.

The 3 remaining boys will be dropped off tomorrow morning for their neuter surgery and then will head home over the course of the next week. Sisko will head to Portland on Wednesday - his new name will be Deiab (Dee-ab). Dax will be next and will be travelling to Beaverton Oregon a week from today. His new name will probably be Dexter. And then last but not least, on the 26th Rom's dad will fly across the country from Baltimore to carry him home. His new name is Hurley.

It has been a wonderful, but exhausting experience. I think we'll stick to adult fosters for awhile. We still have Franny and Star who are waiting patiently for the right home.

The photo above was taken when I had the bright idea to turn the bathroom into the puppies' nursery so they'd have more space. After the demise of a roll of TP and chew marks on the wall I decided that they would have to go back to the ex-pen.

The pack

2010-01-05T15:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted to the blog. It seems like all my time is spent cleaning up after puppies. If I rush it still takes a full hour and a half in the morning to get everyone cleaned up, fed and pooped and cleaned up again before I can take a shower and get ready for work.

The puppies were listed on Petfinder and Adoptapet.com today and already we have applications for Rom and Sisko. We are going to miss them SO much after they go to their homes. When you watch a pup be born and care for it since birth it's tough to keep from getting too attached to them.

Franny and Star both are doing excellent with their housetraining and are such good girls. Franny has learned the "sit" command and "in your house" (which means she needs to go in her crate) and we are working on "leave it" and "drop it" with her. Both girls are very food motivated and smart so training them is easy, it's finding time to work with them that's the difficult part.

Star went to work with me yesterday and was so good. She greeted the customers like they were long lost family (still working on not jumping up on people) and when she wasn't doing that snoozed behind the counter in a nice cushy bed.

So that's the latest. If you know of any families who have the time, love and energy for a young puppy be sure to let them know about our little Trekkies.

Almost 8 weeks

2009-12-16T20:15:00.000-08:00

The puppies turn 8 weeks old this Saturday and that means they are ready for their first set of puppy shots. Boy, this has gone fast. It seems like only yesterday that they were squirming around on their bellies. I've been meaning to post for quite awhile, even have a bunch of notes for a post but I never have time thanks to their penchant for tromping through their poop overnight which requires a pen cleaning and five puppy baths each morning. It's a good thing they are so dang cute.

So here's a photo of them at 6 weeks old. As per usual most of their ears are inside out. L to R are Dax, Rom, Sisko (back), Worf (middle) and Milah Jo (front, lying down). They are mostly weaned now, although Star is still having trouble letting go and is still quite protective of them. Their little personalities are very apparent now, which is fun. Anyhow, I have to run now - time to feed the puppies - again.

Holiday Hugs Drive

2009-12-05T17:37:00.000-08:00

We know that money is tight this year for a lot of people, but here's a way that you can make your money do twice the good. Over the holiday season we have a "Holiday Hugs Drive" going on over at the New Rattitude Website. A generous donor has offered to match holiday donations to New Rattitude's vetting fund up to $1,000. So if you make a $25 donation that means $50 will be put into the vetting fund. Pretty cool, huh? We've already had about $650 in donations. Remember, you can donate in someone's name for a holiday gift. New Rattitude will send a card to the person whose name you are donating in letting them know that you have donated money in their name to New Rattitude and telling a bit about how we use donations.

Another way to help us earn an extra $1,000 would be to tell everyone you know about the shelter challenge over on www.theanimalrescuesite.com . The contest ends on the 20th, I believe so we only have a little more time to widen our lead. The 2nd place group for Washington state is VERY close to our vote count and we don't want to lose this at the last moment like we did last time. E-mail everyone you know and ask them to vote for New Rattitude, WA (Northwest Region) daily.

The dogs here are doing great. Franny is now reliably house-trained and the puppies are now reliably NOT house-trained and making many messes, many times a day. Star is less enthused with her role as momma now that the pups are 6 weeks old. She is still nursing them a little but spends more time out of the puppy room than she used to.

The perfect storm

2009-11-23T09:40:00.000-08:00

Sh$% storm, that is. The puppies are growing up and now that they are over 4 weeks old the poop is coming fast and furious. This would be fine if it was a nice little pile in the corner, but no. For a young puppy pooping usually involves walking through the pile, wandering around in circles and then wiping in on your sibling a few times when you put them in a puppy smackdown.

It's a good thing they are so dang cute because these little boogers have entered the stage where they are a LOT of work, what with the supplemental feeding, extra laundry, and the steady supply of urine and feces they provide.

They are growing so fast, so a couple days ago we moved them out of their playpen and into an x-pen where they have more room to play (and spread their poop around.) Fuzzy faced Sisko is the biggest at 2# - 13 1/2 oz and Milah Jo is still the smallest at 2# - 3 1/2 oz.

Their personalities are starting to emerge which is very fun. Dax knows what he wants and isn't afraid to let you know about it. Milah, Worf and Rom are all pretty easy going with Milah being the most playful of the three. Worf was the first to discover his bark. Even though Sisko is the biggest, he is a bit timid and takes longer to get used to new things.

The picture above was taken after an extremely involved cleanup of the x-pen last night. Watching Troy and I work so much at cleaning up their poop and pee really wore out the pups and they crashed with all the little brown/black pups (F to B: Milah Jo, Worf and Sisko) lined up in a row.

Shopping to help

2009-11-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

As we head into the holiday shopping season I wanted to make a couple suggestions of ways you can find great gifts, save time and money AND help out animals.

This season, what about helping out the little guy? Why go to Target when you can shop online for one of a kind gifts made by local artists. Earlier in the year I discovered Etsy.com and I have to say, it is a wonderland of handmade items, many that you would typically find in galleries and boutiques only. Instead of paying boutique prices you can go straight to the source on Etsy and buy directly from the artists. This way you end up with unique gifts, you save money and you help out the little guy. It gets better though. Etsy has a group called "Etsy for Animals" or EFA for short. If you go to the EFA Webpage you can find the over 500 artists who give a portion of their profits to non-profit animal welfare groups. I just purchased some beautiful handmade fused glass ornaments for less than I would have paid for a plastic Hallmark ornament AND a portion of what I spent went to an animal welfare agency AND it was a local artist so I'm shopping locally as well. Can't get a whole lot better than that.

If you still want to shop from big box stores there is a way to help New Rattitude Rat Terrier Rescue while you shop online. Stores like Amazon.com, Target.com, Wal-Mart.com, Petco, SitStay.com, Zapdos.com ..... will donate a portion of what you spend when you link to their Websites from http://www.goodshop.com/ or http://www.igive.com/ . All you have to do is go to one of the previous Websites and check out their list of participating vendors. Use their links to get to your favorite Webstore and then a portion of what you spend will be donated to the charity you have chosen on goodshop or igive (PS: I'm thinking that New Rattitude would be a good choice. :)

A third option is the greenest and best in my opinion. Make a donation to New Rattitude in a person's name and a card will be sent to them noting that you have given in their name and it will explain a bit about how the money will be used to save rat terriers. I mean, who really needs more stuff? This is perfect for that difficult to shop for person. You can even request a receipt and write the donation off your taxes. How 'bout that? And coming up soon there will be a way to double your donation at no extra cost to you. Stay tuned and I will announce the Holiday Fundraising drive info as soon as it is kicked off in the next 'Tude News newsletter.

Anyhow, I just wanted to send out a plea before we Black Friday. Save gas, time and money, shop local, help independent artists AND help out animals all at the same time.

Wire-haired?

2009-11-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

The pups are now 3 weeks old and the big surprise this week is that several of them are growing these scruffy long hairs around their face which makes me wonder if dad was wire-haired or long haired. Since we were told that Star is from a puppymill we assumed that dad was another rat terrier, but who knows now. We will just have to watch and wait.

Dax continues to lead the pack in development and Rom in size. This week Dax has learned how to pee and poop without mom's help. Thankfully he walks over to the corner of the playpen before he does his business. He's the smallest of the boys, but is certainly precocious. Rom is now almost 2 1/2 pounds and the smallest two pups, Milah Jo and Dax, should hit the 2 pound mark today.

The photo above is of Sisko and you can see a bit of the scruffy hair that is growing in around his face.

Going mobile

2009-11-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

The puppies' 2nd week was a week of firsts: early in the week Dax opened his eyes followed a few days later by the rest of the pups. Then a couple days ago Dax started walking and today all the pups are up on all fours, wobbling around the playpen. Another first this week was my first panic that something was wrong with a pup.

Although Dax was the last pup to be born, and one of the smallest, he quickly overtook the others in weight as was soon tied with his brother Rom for heaviest. Then over the course of 3 days his weight gain slowed to a stall and he seemed low energy compared to his typical self. He also no longer was seeking out the pile of siblings when he went to sleep but would snooze off by himself and his suck when he nursed seemed much weaker. His weight gain dropped to the point where he was the smallest again so I purchased some puppy formula at the feed store and started supplemental feeding with a small syringe. After just 2 days of these extra feedings he started putting on a more typical amount of weight and immediately decided that walking would get him moving much more quickly than scooting around on his belly.

Now that they are all "walking" when you look in the playpen there is often just a mass of wiggling movement - not often distinguishable as separate pups but a big pile of squirming fur. Soon they will start to be more aware of their siblings and play will begin.

New Rattitude desperately needs votes!

2009-11-05T18:37:00.000-08:00

Over at www.theanimalrescuesite.com there is the shelter contest going on that I've told you about before. We are having people vote for the New Rattitude - WA region this time for the contest and we were doing pretty good but recently we've dropped down in the over all standings and we now have only about 10 spots between us and the 2nd place group in WA. They are holding strong and we are steadily sliding down. We can't lose this right at the end like last time, so PLEASE help us. Our canine clinic is full of needy dogs right now that could use that $1,000.

Go to the voting site, choose New Rattitude as your shelter and WA as the state and VOTE!!! Thanks so much for your support.

The puppy pit

2009-11-02T17:55:00.000-08:00

Once the whelping was complete and Star and her pups had some time to bond I needed to move the family into new, clean and comfy digs that would allow mama to get in and out but would keep puppies securely in one place where they'd be safe.

A lot of people use those hard-sided kiddie pools that you can buy at Target or places like that. Perfect idea, except that it was October and the kiddie pools had all sold out of stores by early August. At the Pet Market we have these playpens that are specifically made for small dogs and puppies. They are very similar to the fold up playpens for babies except these have an end that zips open so dogs are able to come in and out. This one also has a hard plastic liner that fits in the base and is easy to clean - perfect. With some clamps and cardboard I added a lip to the end to allow Star to come in and out easily but to keep the puppies inside and it has worked wonderfully.

Once they are bigger we'll switch to an ex-pen at home and the playpen can go back to work for when the puppies have had their vaccinations and can visit the store with me.

All 5 of the pups have now passed the 1 pound mark and we anxiously await their eyes opening. Their little snouts are starting to lengthen so they look more like puppies and less like little mice. lol

One week old

2009-10-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

The pups are now a week old and a couple of days ago the blonde guys started getting their nose and pad colors. Here you can see little Dax's nose, starting to get a little bit of black at the tip.

They have nearly doubled in size and are all quite healthy. Star has an arm chair in the puppy room that she sits on and chews on her nylabone when the pups are sleeping. It's 84 degrees in the room so they do fine without her body heat. Like any mom, she treasures her kid-free moments when she can relax and do what she wants.

I really find it tough to believe that Star was a puppymill dog. She is in no way fearful of humans, loves attention, and (drumroll) is housetrained and trained to a pee pad. She was just going on the pee pad in the middle of the night but she has taken to waking me up at 5:30 am so we can take a walk in the back yard in the freezing cold and she can do her business. I much prefer wadding up a pee pad at 7:30 am to getting up at 5:30, but hey, I shouldn't complain.

Today we took the puppies' 1 week old photos that will be used on New Rattitude's Website for the nursery Webpage. There was also a New Rattitude litter born in Michigan this week - 4 girls. Watch for photos of them on the New Rattitude Website soon.

Little Squirmers

2009-10-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

The puppies are all doing great and growing quickly. Star continues to be a great mom and dotes on the puppies constantly, only leaving her box for quick bathroom breaks. After she's done she tears back in the house and up to the office, waiting for me to open the door so she can get back to the babies.

The 2 blondies are the biggest and are growing faster than the other three. Dax actually started out as the smallest, but now he's as big as brother, Rom. They are nearly identical so we had tied a ribbon around Rom's neck so we could keep track of who was who at weigh in time. Last night I went to weigh the pups and was calling out the weights to Troy, who wrote them down for me. I weighed Dax, put him back in the box, and then grabbed the other blond pup, Rom. I weighed him and the weight was the same. Then I realized this pup didn't have a ribbon. I looked back in the box, confused, and there was Dax, asleep where I had laid him. Then I realized that Star must have chewed off the ribbon. We laughed over that, trying to decide who was who since Dax had caught up in weight to Rom. Luckily I had noticed earlier in the day that when you turn on the overhead lights that Dax is just slightly darker than Rom along his back. You have to have them side by side to notice but there is that slight difference.

The three dark pups are all starting to get their rattie eyebrows which is SO cute. They show up best on the brown pups, Milah and Sisko, but I can see that Worf is getting his as well. It will be fun to see their little markings start to emerge.

Anyhow, the photo above show little Mr. Rom, before his ribbon was removed by his momma.

Star and her Trekkies

2009-10-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday from 3:45 pm to 6:20 pm Star gave birth to 5 healthy little puppies. There were 4 boys and 1 girl and they were all between 7 3/8 oz and 7 3/4 oz in size. She is an excellent mom and really there wasn't much for me to do but sit back and watch her work. I actually missed the birth of the first little guy because I went downstairs to get heat the microwave pads for the puppy basket. I figured I was way early but, you know - better safe than sorry. I get upstairs 2 minutes later and Star is licking this little black blob.

Two of the boys are blondies, like Armstrong/Sunny if you remember that little foster guy that we had. As they age their markings will show up but for now they look solid. The first pup is a black sable with tuxedo markings and then the other two are dark brown with black sable and the tuxedo markings.

The girl's name is Milah Jo, and the boys are Worf, Rom, Sisko and Dax. All the names follow our space theme and are from the TV show "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" since these five pups bring our current dog count to 9!

Blogger is being obnoxious and currently won't allow me to get photos in my posts from Flickr. So to see all the photos go to the Star set of photos over on Flickr.com.

Star

2009-10-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

Star stopped eating last night and has been resting most of the morning. Now stage one of her labor is starting so we should have puppies tonight. Wish her luck!

2010 New Rattitude Rat Terrier Calendar is here!

2009-10-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

The contest is over, photos have been chosen and a very nice calendar has been assembled and is now for sale over at New Rattitude's ReTail store . 100% of the net proceeds of the calendar sales benefit the rat terriers in foster care with New Rattitude, Inc.

The cost is $15 and if you order before November 1st you don't have to pay the additional $3 shipping fee. Order early because quantities are limited. Check out the preview Webpage to see the great photos that were chosen. I was very impressed with the final product.

Big ol' belly

2009-10-21T20:04:00.001-07:00

As promised, here is a photo of our new girl, Star. She is a very sweet girl, around 3-4 years old and about 20 pounds right now, several of them baby pounds. She has a great big belly but still manages to go up and down the stairs. For a puppymill dog she is very well socialized and has settled in nicely.

She ate a nice big dinner of Orijen Puppy kibble mixed with a little Sojos Grain Free veggie mix and is now resting nicely up in the "nursery" aka office. I will keep you posted as to how things progress.